


Happily Ever After

by Bugggghead



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Forbidden Love, Modern Royalty, Royalty, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, first time smut, healthy female friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-04 04:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 40,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14584512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bugggghead/pseuds/Bugggghead
Summary: SummaryOnce upon a time, in the fair kingdom of New York, there were three principalities; Greendale, Lodgeville, and Riverdale - all alike in size, but vastly different in composition.orA royal AU where the core 4 are heirs to rivaling principalities. Princess Betty Cooper enrolls in Sweetwater Prep for her senior year and is thrown into friendships she had always been told to avoid. Will they all air out their families differences? Will the next generation of royals overcome their parents’ prejudices?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jandjsalmon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jandjsalmon/gifts), [bughead-world](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=bughead-world).



> Thank you so very much to my amazing beta @jandjsalmon & eveyone else who has supported this work (including but not limited to: @peaceblessingspeyton @noorakardemmomesaetre @elegantmoonchild @lazydaizies @theheavycrown & @riverdaddy00)

Once upon a time, in the fair kingdom of New York, there were three principalities; Greendale, Lodgeville, and Riverdale - all alike in size, but vastly different in composition. 

 

Greendale was positively average in every way. The residents were from mixed social and economic backgrounds. Their specialties laid in common trades; what once meant fishing, hunting, and farming had transformed over the years into industrial work and manual labor occupations. Greendale was filled with mediocre houses, unremarkable cars, and boring stores. Other than the royal family, there were few notable citizens in Greendale. Most of the occupations there were labor intensive with average pay but the residents of Greendale seemed to thrive with normality and consistency. 

 

Lodgeville was ostentatious in every sense of the word. Formerly named Midvale, Lodgeville was renamed under its current leadership to reflect the royal family’s moniker. The population of Lodgeville was the smallest in the land but their per capita wealth ratio was exorbitantly higher than any other principality. It was filled with high-rise condos, sprawling family estates and every piece of property in Lodgeville was ridiculously expensive. When Midvale was formed, it was populated by philosophers, authors, and engineers. As the years progressed, those occupations transformed into doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Only the most elite - save for the royal families - were granted residency in Lodgeville. 

 

Last but not least, Riverdale was initially the most densely populated principality by a wide margin. When it was first created, Riverdale housed an eclectic mix of upper and lower middle class - with a significantly growing economic gap between the two over time. Those who used to be nurses, seamstresses, and tutors transformed into the current population of business owners, teachers, and management types. The houses in Riverdale were a mix of humble single-family homes and large picturesque estates. While Riverdale had the largest population, it also had the most tension within said population. Unlike the other principalities, Riverdale served as a catch-all for anyone who wasn’t simply average or ridiculously wealthy.

 

Tensions rose between the North and South divisions within the principality. The Jones family ruled Riverdale with grace for generations up until roughly 200 years ago. The king at that time, Pendleton Jones, was a terrible ruler. In modern tales he was said to be mad; but in reality, the bottle was his downfall. King Pendleton was inebriated more often than not, paving the way for his right hand, James Cooper, to silently pull the strings of influence. Cooper diverted funding from the downtrodden southern division of the principality. With each intoxicated stroke of the pen, King Pendleton’s ineffective leadership deepened the division within the principality. Funds were stretched thinner and thinner on the southside of the principality before things finally reached a tipping point. The citizens of what would become South Riverdale rallied against the northern division of nobles and elites attempting to force the king from power. Because the machinations of Cooper brought them wealth and influence, the northern divison’s residents eagerly followed his campaign to overthrow the government. When the dust settled, an armistice was signed and Riverdale was split into two separate principalities all-together. The Jones family was forced, with its loyal supporters to South Riverdale and James Cooper set up North Riverdale as his own. 

 

The unintended side effect of Riverdale’s split was the political stalemate that the kingdom of New York had faced ever since. Originally, the three principalities ruled in unison. If ever a decision was to be made, it was voted on between the three royal families and with odd numbers, no ties could ever take place. However, with Riverdale’s split into North and South, there were effectively four votes in every matter; often ending in an outright tie and zero forward progress. North Riverdale nearly always aligned with Lodgeville and South Riverdale aligned with Greendale. These alliances fostered a hostile atmosphere between the rivaling principalities that carried through several generations.

  
  
  


***

 

The Kingdom of New York always operated on a delicate balance of power between the three - now four - royal families. No singular family or principality had more power over another after the split. The responsibility and duty of the respective royal families was to maintain outward appearances of peace and unity in the kingdom. While that was not the case behind closed doors, in the public sphere, no one knew of the tensions between the rivaling families. 

 

From the beginning, it was commonplace for royal heirs to be married as young as their eighteenth birthday, bearing children within the next few years. The age-old tradition was originally created to ensure an heir to the throne was constantly in the wings in the event of the King’s early death and was convenient because royal children all tended to be similar in age. It was never a requirement, but even without enforcement, no royal family had yet to break the tradition. Each heir for generations was married, either to other royals or nobles from their respective principalities, before their twentieth birthday and a next generational heir was born shortly after. Betrothals were common but not required, and love matches were possible but not common.

 

Alice Smith, a proud daughter from a South Riverdale noble family, and Forsythe Pendleton Jones II, grandson of the ill-fated King Pendleton, had been betrothed to each other from birth. Alice and Forsythe (known as FP) were inseparable during their younger years. They fell deeply in love and happily complied with the betrothal much to the joy of their parents. FP gave Alice his family’s heirloom crown ring on her eighteenth birthday following a romantic, though entirely unnecessary, proposal. Their subjects believed them to be a perfect fit to rule. It was a fairytale… until Alice found her betrothed in a compromising position with another woman mere days before their wedding. Upset, heartbroken, and utterly devastated, Alice sought comfort in the arms of a childhood friend and heir to the North Riverdale throne, Hal Cooper. 

 

Alice and Hal grew closer as he supported her and tried to help her get over her heartbreak. Within months of her broken engagement, the two were married. One thing was for sure, Alice was not someone who could easily forgive nor forget. Prince Hal wasn’t Alice’s ideal match, but she cared for him as a friend and because she had been deeply hurt by FP’s betrayal, she craved safety and security, even if it felt like settling. 

 

Now, the royal family of Greendale was entirely less dramatic. It consisted of King Fred and Queen Mary Andrews and the sole heir to their throne, Prince Archibald - or Archie to those who knew him well. Archibald was known for being fun-loving and cheerful and for his wandering eye when it came to the opposite sex. The Andrews boy had been introduced to many potential princesses, duchesses, countesses, and other noble girls over the years but his taste for variety quickly ended any theoretical alliances. Eventually, the King and Queen backed off the suitor search and let Archie sow his wild oats before he was required to marry. 

 

Lodgeville’s royal family was small as well. Queen Hermione and King Hiram Lodge ruled with an iron fist. The residents of Lodgeville were held to the highest standards. Their standards for their citizens were nothing, however, compared to the standards the Lodges had for their heir, Princess Veronica. And she had inherited a similar view. The Lodges had attempted to arrange courtship after courtship for Veronica only for them all to go up in flames within months. Veronica had the same fire as her parents and each suitor fell by the wayside as her ironclad will refused to bend to their wishes. 

 

Both North and South Riverdale, despite now having two royal families, inevitably were very similar to the others in size. Both had single heirs to the throne, Princess Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Cooper and Prince Forsythe ‘Jughead’ Jones III, but unlike the other principalities, neither family attempted to court their heir. 

 

With the birth of a princess in the Northern division and a prince in the South, the private and unspoken murmurings of many in the principality turned to uniting the families and uniting Riverdale once more. Each time there was business requiring all of the Kingdom’s families to associate together, the expectation hung thick in the air, even when they were merely children. Merging the sides once again would regain Riverdale’s power in political negotiations in the Kingdom. Everyone knew that if unified, Riverdale would be the strongest of the three principalities. Their population would be the largest, their seat at the table would mean more, and Riverdale would once again return to a position of power in the kingdom. In public, it was almost universally assumed that despite the unpleasantness of Queen Alice and King Forsythe’s youth, their children would heal the breach, but in private the notion was scoffed at from both sides. The citizens wanted nothing more, but Queen Alice was dead set against any potential pairing with a Jones. 

 

Princess Betty was the ideal vision of a princess. Even as a child, she was absolutely stunning, long golden waves, deep emerald eyes, and a smile that could light up the room. 

 

Being born into a royal family afforded certain privileges that all of the heirs enjoyed and responsibilities that all were required to participate in. During holidays and kingdom-wide events, all of the families - along with their heirs - were expected to attend. Ever since childhood, Betty was forbidden to play with the others, despite being raised with them as her only true equal peers. 

 

Unlike the other royal children, as soon as she was old enough, Betty was sent to a prestigious all-girls boarding school, the Quiet Mercy Academy for Young Ladies, in a neighboring kingdom. The Queen’s official reasoning was that the advanced studies were not available in the Kingdom of New York. However, as the years passed and Betty became more and more isolated due to her many months away from the kingdom and her peers, the real reason came to light. Her mother was actively preventing her from associating with the other principalities’ heirs. It was the only solution Betty could see and she couldn’t understand why, but she knew it was something she could never ask her mother about or risk an explosion of Queen Alice’s temper that she wasn’t willing to raise. 

 

Betty’s father, King Hal had passed away shortly after she began school at Quiet Mercy. She was barely five years old when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. He didn’t even make it to her sixth birthday and when Alice stepped in and took the reigns of the kingdom as Queen Regent, Betty saw something change in her. She had been controlling before, but her level of control reached new heights after King Hal passed away. Her place on the throne only bolstering the spectrum of her control both in and out of the household.

 

Betty remembered a time, as a child, before she knew better, when her mother found her playing with the Jones heir. “Elizabeth, you stay away from him. Do you hear me?! A Jones will only bring you heartache.” Betty recalled it as if it were yesterday. 

 

Young Forsythe had picked a flower from the field that the kingdom-wide fair was being hosted in. They were sitting among the poppy fields, laughing together when he handed it to her. Even as a child, she knew heartbreak didn’t come in the form of soft smiles and poppies, so her mother’s words confused her. 

 

The propaganda that had been drilled into her head from birth had become fuzzy as he handed her the flower in full bloom and they shared a moment. Betty had always felt isolated as a child. Other than her immediate family and the few friends she made at boarding school, her interactions with people her age were severely limited. When the handsome boy had given her a flower and her mother subsequently chastised her, Betty didn’t understand. As the years passed and the sordid tale of the North Riverdale vs South Riverdale Civil War became further embedded in her brain, the fuzzy memory of the nice boy with the pretty poppy became grainier, until it was a distant memory, maybe even a fantasy. 

 

Life may have continued like that for Betty, but over time, as the Kingdom of New York continued in political uproar due to its ineffectual government, without progress being made in any direction from leadership, and with trade agreements becoming murkier as the years passed, relationships with the neighboring Kingdoms were bound to sour. 

 

When Betty was set to return to her boarding school for senior year, she was denied entrance. As a member of the North Riverdale royal family, Quiet Mercy had said she was unwelcome until the alliances of the principality and the kingdom were ironed out. Strained political relationships aside, Betty was secretly elated. For the first time in her life, she would be attending school with a plethora of new students - boys and girls - and particularly the other royal heirs of whom she was more than a little curious. Betty was an overachiever in every sense of the word and her involvement at Sweetwater Preparatory School would be no different. 

 

Alice Cooper had already informed Betty of acceptable behaviors and connections for her only year at Sweetwater Prep. She was to have zero contact with a Jones or an Andrews. Grudgingly, Alice conceded that her daughter could befriend Princess Veronica Lodge from Lodgeville, but if anyone else wasn’t at least a noble, she was to avoid interaction. 

 

Privately, Betty scoffed at the idea of limiting her interactions to strictly nobles or royals. At Quiet Mercy, her two closest friends had been neither noble nor royal. She always considered herself to be open minded. While Alice’s mind games and constant need to control Betty’s life certainly pushed some of her own prejudices onto her daughter, Betty had tried her best to overcome the stifling limitations in order to see people for who they were rather than what they were labeled. She considered it to be one of her greatest attributes after being raised in the suffocating world of the royal family.

  
  
  
  


*

  
  
  



	2. 1st Quarter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FAIR WARNING: This chapter is humongous with over 11k words!
> 
> As always, thank you so very much to my amazing beta @jandjsalmon for dealing with my incessant plot chats and my atrocious grammar. You are wonderful! <3
> 
> Also, thanks to everyone who has supported this little story along the way @peaceblessingspeyton @lazydaizies @noorakardemmomesaetre @elegantmoonchild @riverdaddy00 @theheavycrown @indiebughead (because I forget her last time and I suck for that) and everyone on Discord who sprinted with me during the writing process!

*  
  
  


Betty’s first day of her Senior year started off disastrously and continued on in the same manner. The town car dropped her off at Sweetwater Preparatory School exactly thirty minutes before the first bell. After meeting her pre-arranged - thanks to her mother - school guide, Veronica Lodge, Betty quickly realized the layout of the school was vast and widespread. She knew it would take her much longer to learn her way around than she had expected and prepared for. Her class schedule was apparently not up to Veronica’s standards, based on the forty-five minutes it took them in the front office getting it changed. After some major tweaks to her class schedule, Betty was enrolled in nearly every period with Veronica. ‘ _ They would become the best of friends.’ _ Betty laughed, at the time, at Veronica’s sentiment; but it would prove to be true as the year wore on.

 

They were officially twenty minutes late by the time the two girls strolled into their first class. The teacher didn’t even bat an eye when Veronica explained their introductory tour took a little longer than expected and Betty marveled at the way Veronica could sweetly manipulate the situation. Veronica was whip-smart and clearly cunning, two traits commonly associated with the Lodge family and Betty made a mental note to stay on her toes around Veronica.

 

The rest of their classes flew by as Betty took page after page of notes and Veronica incessantly checked her lip gloss in a mirror. She wasn’t even sure Veronica had a pen in her possession by the end of the day, noting the small size of her designer bag.

 

“So Veronica, tell me, don’t you have to have good grades to become a peer mentor?” Betty didn’t mean to come off condescending, but the way Veronica whipped her head around told her she missed the mark.

 

“Yeah. Of course, I have good grades. Why would you assume otherwise?” Veronica’s attitude was teetering on the cusp of unsavory when Betty quickly backtracked.

 

“No. I mean- no - that’s not what I meant. I’m sorry.” The apology flowed out as naturally as all of the others she had given in her life. Her actions required constant apologies in her mother’s eyes and it was nearly a reflex for Betty to apologize. If anyone appeared the slightest bit unhappy, though Betty rarely meant it, she would immediately apologize for her behavior. 

 

Betty’s defensive approach registered to Veronica and her features softened before placing a hand on Betty’s shoulder to reassure her.

 

“What I meant to say was, I didn’t see you take a single note in class today and we covered some pretty intense stuff for the first day. How do you manage to keep everything up so well if you don’t take notes?”

 

“Well, you see Princess Betty, I’m a Lodge, our minds are like steel traps.” Veronica tapped a perfectly manicured fingernail on her temple and winked, causing Betty to giggle. “Also, all of our classwork is available online so I use the electronic notes. Did you notice all of the classrooms had SmartBoards? The teachers save the notes and host them on the class’ individual website. It’s super convenient and they have so much money at this school they’ll use any excuse to spend it. Including, but not limited to, a $2,000 SmartBoard in each of the over 100 classrooms.”

 

Betty was dumbfounded by the figures Veronica had thrown her way. It was obvious Sweetwater Prep was a wealthy school. The sprawling lawns and gorgeous architecture took a back seat to the state of the art classrooms and pristine sports fields. It was as if the school was plucked straight from a college brochure. But unlike brochures, it wasn’t just full of picture-perfect snapshots, every nook and cranny of the school was impeccably decorated and maintained. At Quiet Mercy, every year of its nearly 250 in operation showed. The walls were chipped, dingy and in need of serious repair. There was no crown molding or golden plated details on the handrails. The entire school was dimly lit and covered with a slight layer of grime. The change of environment was invigorating to Betty and she fell more in love with her new arrangement as she discovered more of the school.

 

The girls made their way to the parking lot and Betty was caught off guard when a flash of red hair passed in front of her and scooped Veronica up. The redhead squeezed her tightly and spun her around, earning him a giggle from the dark-haired Princess in return. It was Prince Archie Andrews, Betty realized, once he put Veronica down and Forsythe Jones - no, Jughead, she barely remembered the preferred name - was striding up a few feet behind his friend.

 

Veronica had been talking off and on about her boyfriend Archie throughout the day. Even Betty knew that Archie had a bit of a reputation as a player in his earlier years, despite her limited interactions with the other royals. It was common knowledge that he had met many potential matches over the years, but it appeared Veronica Lodge had finally captured his heart; and if Veronica’s earlier sentiments meant anything, it appeared she had met her match, as well. It was an interesting pairing, the stubborn heiress and the flirty heir from opposing principalities. Veronica and Archie were about as different as Lodgeville and Greendale; but Betty knew, matters of the heart were rarely rooted in logic.

 

Veronica playfully slapped Archie’s chest before leaning up on her tiptoes for a kiss and spun around to face Betty. 

 

“Betty! You remember Archie and Jughead from when we were all kids.” Veronica gestured at the boys before sweeping her hand up and down in front of Betty. “Guys, this is Betty! I know we haven’t seen her in ages, but hasn’t she blossomed into an absolute smokeshow!?”

 

Betty blushed a deep red and redirected her eyes to the ground. If she had looked up, she may have caught the uncomfortable way Jughead was shuffling his feet, his gaze fixed on the ground as well.

 

“Betty! What brings you to Sweetwater Prep this year? We’ve never been graced with your presence here before,” Archie asked innocently.

 

“Um, I just wanted to try something different.” Betty sounded hesitant in her response, and she hoped the hadn’t picked up on it. No one was supposed to know why Betty could no longer attend Quiet Mercy, her mother had been crystal clear on the matter.

 

Jughead scoffed and Betty finally lifted her eyes to look at him. He had grown up considerably since the last time she’d seen him. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a dark shirt with what appeared to be a faded ‘S’ on the chest; atop the tee, he layered an unbuttoned plaid flannel shirt and a thick leather jacket. To cap off the look, he had a pair of worn converse and the same vaguely crown-shaped woolen beanie she recognized from their childhood. A golden ring rested on his left middle finger, much like his beanie, it resembled a crown - the flat part wedged between his fingers and the tips of the crown facing the tips. He was filled out, his arms were muscular but lean, his biceps barely visible through the layers he wore. He was taller, too. Nearly a foot taller than the last time she had seen him. His features were sharper, more well defined, and Betty caught herself staring at the curve of his jawline before he spoke again and she was shaken from her trance.

 

“You see, Princess, I don’t believe you. I know for a fact that the limitations of all of our parents’ bullshit know no bounds. So, I’m not buying the change of scenery excuse. If I had to guess the real reason, I’d say mommy decided that with the state of the kingdom at odds, she wanted to keep you under her thumb this year.” His remarks caught her off guard. It wasn’t a question, but a startling accurate observation. Clearly, the loyalty bred into the heir of South Riverdale’s throne was weak at best - if it even existed at all. His tone was bitter and Betty found herself fixated on another part of him - his eyes. They were a brilliant blue, unlike any Betty had seen before. Had his eyes always been that blue, she briefly wondered before forcing herself to look away from him. 

 

“No. No, of course not. I told you. I just wanted to try something different for my last year.” Betty tried her hardest to sound convincing, ultimately avoiding eye contact and attempting to evade the truth in his statements. “At least this way I’m home all year round,” Betty shrugged in nonchalance. “When I went to the Quiet Mercy Academy for Young Ladies, I was away from home nine months out of the year. This will be a nice change.”

 

“Ha. Give it a few weeks and I bet you’ll sing a different tune, Princess.” Jughead’s title for her wasn’t out of the ordinary for Betty to hear - she was a princess after all - but the way he said the word made it sound more like a curse than a privilege. 

 

Veronica interrupted what had essentially turned into a private conversation between the two, “Well, whatever the reason is, I’m  _ so  _ glad you’re here! Betty, why don’t you hang out with us today?” 

 

Betty was torn. Part of her wanted to go with them more than anything in the world, the part that craved connection; but another, more logical part of her knew that she was supposed to only associate with Veronica, and considering the state of affairs at home, she was hard pressed to rock the boat of this new arrangement. She was so grateful to be home for a full year for the first time in over a decade. Betty knew that if she dared to cross the line of acceptability on her first day at the new school, her mother would be furious. 

 

Archie’s arm was slung over Veronica’s shoulder and he turned them toward the limo waiting by the curb. Jughead turned too and headed to the car while Betty stood rooted to her spot. She wasn’t sure if she should follow or opt out. They all appeared to be waiting for her decision as Betty remained still. 

 

“Uh, I can’t. Thank you anyway. I’ll just see you tomorrow,” Betty decided.

 

“What?! No way. We’re all going down to Sweetwater River before we go home. Come with us. Please?” Veronica had disentangled herself from Archie’s grip and made her way back over to Betty. “Pleaseeee, Betty. I promise it’ll be fun.” 

 

It was clear to Betty that the combination of Veronica’s pouted lip and the bat of her eyelashes worked often. However, Betty had all of the same tricks up her own sleeves and remained unphased by the attempt.

 

“Sorry, Veronica. I really can’t today. Maybe another time,” Betty offered, hoping to dissuade Veronica from further pleading. The boys observed the exchange, Jughead’s gaze particularly probing, and Betty was reminded again why she couldn’t reasonably follow them. She knew if she went with them and her mother found out there would be no hesitation before she was shipped off again to another boarding school in another kingdom - alone once more. She couldn’t take that leap and stood her ground, opting out of their adventure.

 

Veronica seemed to accept her answer begrudgingly and gave her a quick hug before they all filed into the limo and left the school.

 

Betty’s own ride showed up a few minutes later, a driver her mother hired to escort her to and from school. Betty climbed in and arrived at the castle right on schedule. Alice grilled her about her first day the moment she entered the door. Betty was less than forthcoming with the details of the after-school events, but was more than willing to share her class schedule and other interactions. She told her mother all about the extracurriculars available, expressing her interest in the school newspaper - the Blue and Gold. Betty always did have a propensity for journalism, it combined her love of writing and investigating. Her mother suggested cheerleading and student council, neither of which Betty was remotely interested in. The trade-off for the Blue and Gold was an extra college prep course and Betty took the deal before her mother could change her mind. It may have seemed like a lot, combined with her already heavy course load, but Betty was always the type to take on more than one thought possible and sort out the details later. She had a spotless record at her boarding school and intended to carry it through to the end of her senior year at Sweetwater Prep.

 

Betty’s dinner consisted of baked chicken and vegetables, as had all of her dinners since returning home. Her mother’s mantra of ‘a second on the lips means a lifetime on the hips’ was ingrained so deeply into Betty’s persona that she didn't even question the lack of diversity in her diet. Alice droned on about the necessary physique for the cheerleading uniform and Betty checked out of the conversation, save for the occasional head nod and verbal affirmation. She would have to tell her eventually that she didn't plan on joining, but the first day of school seemed a bit too soon.

 

When Betty’s head hit the pillow that night, she fell into a deep sleep in record time. Her thoughts were filled with sarcastic comments, easy camaraderie, and blue eyes. She envied the relationship the other royal heirs had with each other, their friendship seemed so easy, so natural, and Betty had never been a part of something like that. She longed for the type of connection the others had. 

 

-

 

The next morning, Betty woke with a start as her mother banged on her door. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and acknowledged the verbal alarm of her mother's shrill voice before getting ready. Her driver dropped her off at Sweetwater Prep about ten minutes before the bell and she found herself wandering the expanse of hallways in search of the Blue and Gold office. 

 

With minutes to spare before the first bell, she finally found her way to the office. She pushed the door open and was surprised to see none other than Jughead Jones sat at a desk toward the back of the room. She looked around for another point of contact, like a sponsor, but fell short when her gaze settled back on the beanie-wearing heir. 

 

His noise-canceling headphones were securely placed over his ears and she made her way over to him to catch his attention. As she walked through the room, thoughts of her mother’s disapproval were front and center in her brain. She knew she wasn’t supposed to engage with anyone from the Jones family but she was so excited that her mother allowed her to join the Blue and Gold that she couldn’t help herself. She told herself it had nothing to do with his comments from the previous day, nothing to do with his ice blue eyes and his easy sarcastic charm. No, she told herself, none of those were the reason she was even more desperate today to join the paper than she had been the day before.

 

Betty cleared her throat once she was standing next to the desk and he didn’t move a muscle. She perched herself on the desk next to his, waiting for a response. He appeared to be deep in thought, fingers practically running across the keyboard of his laptop before he pressed the enter key with a sense of finality and turned to face her.

 

“Morning, Princess.”

 

“Morning.” Betty forced a smile onto her face in response, the well practiced gesture coming naturally. Nervously, she cleared her throat before speaking again. “This office is for the Blue and Gold, right?”

 

“Sure is, and you are looking at it’s one and only member. Editor in Chief is my official title but I like to think of myself as the heart and soul of the paper. I’m actually the editor, reporter, and photographer.” His smug smile spread across his cheeks and Betty couldn’t seem to look away. The icy blue of his eyes from the day before was replaced with a deep cerulean texture and it took Betty’s brain a minute to catch up to his words.

 

“Looking to expand?” she inquired.

 

Jughead quirked an eyebrow in her direction before shutting his laptop and turning to face her completely. He was still sat in the desk chair and Betty was sitting on the desk, a foot or so above his eye level. She saw his gaze sweep over her exposed legs.

 

“Depends.” His eyes finally settled on her own and with his eyebrow still quirked, Betty squirmed under his gaze.

 

“On?” She wasn't normally one to quip back but she couldn't resist the urge to banter with him. She knew she was a fantastic writer and any school newspaper would be lucky to have her, but his sentiment about a condition to join made heat spread through Betty’s cheeks. She briefly wondered what his condition may be and her grin grew wider as her thoughts ran away from her. She ducked her head to shield the blush that was surely rising on her cheeks. 

 

“Are you any good?”

 

Betty was prepared for this question and shifted slightly to pull an organized folder full of neatly catalogued copies of her previous work from her bag. “See for yourself.”

 

The bell rang and Betty hopped off the desk as soon as the folder left her fingertips. She walked over to the doorframe and leaned against it as she turned around. 

 

“Let me know what you think.”

 

He nodded in response and Betty turned quickly, rushing off to her class at the other end of the corridor. She slid into her desk and tried to refocus on the task at hand. She pulled her notes from her bag and prepared for class but her mind wouldn’t leave the room down the hall. 

 

Betty’s mother always conditioned her to be wary of other royals. Alice claimed they were all ‘cunning’ and ‘selfish’. ‘Above all else, never get involved with a Jones.’ Betty had heard the phrase more times than she could count as a child. But as a Senior in high school, on the cusp of adulthood, Betty found herself wondering - why not?

 

The rest of the day passed without incident. Veronica filled her in on all of the gossip as she escorted her from class to class, much like the day before. They were practically glued at the hip already and Betty enjoyed their budding friendship. It was one of the only friendships she was allowed and she wanted to make the most of it.

 

It was only her second day at Sweetwater Prep but her course load was intense and she had homework in each class. When the final bell rang for the day, Betty packed up her belongings and lingered a beat longer than necessary to avoid another awkward interaction outside like the day before. Thankfully, she exited the school and entered her awaiting car without seeing Archie, Jughead or Veronica. Betty found it difficult to turn down their invitation the previous day and wanted to avoid a repeat at all costs, unsure of how long she could truly deny them. 

 

A small part of her knew if they kept pushing, she would eventually give in. Even with her mother’s advice rooted in the forefront of her mind, Betty found herself wondering, for the umpteenth time in only two days, were they really all that bad? Were her mother’s opinions on them rooted in truth? The other heirs were allowed to freely associate and Betty wondered why she was told to keep her distance. 

 

-

 

A few days passed before Jughead found Betty in the corridor on a Friday morning. She was swapping out books from her locker between classes when he surprised her with a light tap to her shoulder. Her books clattered to the ground as she spun around. 

 

“Sorry!” she nearly yelped before leaning down to retrieve her books. He had the same thought at the same time and when they both bent down in unison, their foreheads met in the middle, causing them both to lean back and rub the tender spot on their respective foreheads.

 

“Sorry, again,” Betty apologized once more.

 

“You should be. That hurt,” Jughead teased before scooping up the last of the books and handing them to her.

 

Betty didn’t know him well enough yet to determine if the comment was meant to be serious or simply a joke. She didn’t know how to respond, so she chose not to. Instead, she turned around and promptly stuffed the books in her bag.

 

“So, uh, I read some of your stuff.”

 

“Yeah?! So tell me, Jughead, am I any good?” Betty attempted to mask the excitement in her voice with the comment reminiscent of their exchange a few days before. She leaned her shoulder on her locker, facing him and waiting for a response.

 

“Yeah, you’re alright.”

 

“Alright? That’s all you’ve got, Jones?” Betty quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head in question.

 

“Well, how about a spot on the Blue and Gold?”

 

As soon as the last word left his mouth, Betty couldn’t hide the beaming smile plastered across her face.

 

“Really?!” Her earlier attempt to conceal her excitement was long forgotten with his open invitation.

 

“Yeah, really. We’ll meet twice a week after school - Tuesday and Thursday. Deal?”

 

Betty quickly nodded. Even with her other activities, which she had yet to sign up for, immediately after school on both aforementioned days were currently unclaimed. Despite her clearly stated lack of interest, Alice was still insisting on cheerleading and student council. She had been on the cheerleading squad at Quiet Mercy and she didn’t want to re-immerse herself in the extra superficial types that inevitably populated every squad. Student council was another one Betty wanted nothing to do with. She reluctantly inquired with the club sponsor earlier in the week and had yet to hear back. Betty knew she would never push the matter, simply evade the topic whenever her mother brought up for a few weeks until she could get away with ‘they’re full’ or ‘it conflicted with my schedule’. 

 

As for the Blue and Gold, working on the newspaper alone with Jughead was probably not what her mother had in mind when she approved the extracurricular. Just thinking of how her mother would react if she found out caused Betty’s nerves to shift into overdrive. She was still leaned against her locker, gaze now securely fixed to the ground and she felt her free hand that wasn’t clutching her books curl into itself, her nails searching for the soft skin on her palm and her mind looking for a slight release.

 

Betty was literally shaken from her impending tailspin when Jughead reached forward and gripped her shoulder, shaking it slightly.

 

“Betty...”

 

She looked up into his eyes and blinked a few times as she refocused on the boy in front of her. She vaguely recalled him saying her name a few times while her thoughts drifted away from her.

 

“Are you all right?” His voice was laced with concern and she realized he must have been trying to talk to her for a minute or so before she responded.

 

“I will be.” It wasn’t quite the answer he was searching for but the nod that accompanied it seemed to dissuade his pensive look.

 

Jughead cleared his throat and pulled his hand back, tucking it in the strap of his messenger bag. “Well, good then. I wouldn’t want you to go off the deep end before you got your first assignment,” he laughed lightly and smirked at the jab.

 

Betty, on the other hand, visibly stiffened at his remark. Her previously easy-going and almost flirty banter was replaced with short answers and a curt tone. 

 

“I’m fine. Thank you, Prince Forsythe. See you Tuesday.” She quickly turned on her heel and rushed down the hall. Betty knew she would be early to her next period but it didn’t matter. She was already ahead of the first week’s work but she needed to put distance between herself and Jughead. 

 

Betty was aware of the hushed tones and whispers that carried through the common areas of the kingdom. The Queen was known to be especially strict, particularly when it came to matters with her own daughter. At their public appearances, Betty was always glued to Queen Alice’s side, forbidden from interacting with her peers. 

 

She wondered if the other heirs knew about the way the citizens in North Riverdale talked about her. Betty heard the hushed conversations meant for private ears, she heard them talk about what living under Queen Alice’s rule and roof must do to someone. The startling accuracy of their assumptions always bothered Betty. Despite her best efforts to put forth the image of perfection, she knew citizens throughout the Kingdom thought she was crazy.

 

When Jughead mentioned her going off the deep end, Betty’s hope for a fresh start at a new school faded. Did he say that as a joke or was it a calculated move to ruffle her feathers? If he was trying to get a rise out of her, she thought, it worked.

 

-

 

Jughead stood, glued to his spot on the floor in the hallway reeling from the interaction. He had been teasing her for a while now but nothing he said seemed to have bothered her as much as his last comment. He mentally recounted the exchange and let out a deep sigh.

 

She always seemed so prim and proper, all his jests were meant to do was loosen her up a bit. The offhand comment about why she chose to attend Sweetwater Prep that year had clearly bothered her their first day of school. He could see the hints of discontent behind her sunny exterior and he found himself fascinated by what could be so bad that Princess Betty had to hide it. 

 

To be fair, he was going to give her a spot on the Blue and Gold regardless of the past pieces she shared but he had read the articles she’d given him and was thoroughly impressed by the way she conveyed her thoughts on paper. 

 

Simply being around her awoke a sense of curiosity in him. As children, their interactions were limited by Queen Alice, but every time he saw her at an event, he couldn’t help the way his eyes drank her in. She was the picture of perfection with long golden blonde hair and emerald green eyes deeper than any he had seen before. 

 

If the eyes were truly the window to the soul, Jughead thought, she must have untold depths he wanted desperately to explore.

 

-

 

The next few weeks passed without incident. Betty outshone her peers on a regular basis in their classes, always prepared for the day’s reading with insightful commentary and perfectly penned notes on the subject. What the other students didn’t know, however, was why she was always one step ahead. Alice Cooper was relentless and insistent that Betty be the very best. Once Betty told Alice she joined the Blue and Gold, the unavoidable topic of the other extracurriculars came up. She had been honest with her mother, though in hindsight, that might not have been the best idea. 

 

Betty told her mother that she wanted to step away a bit from the heavy involvement. Instead, Betty wanted to focus on the things that brought her the most joy in her last year. This answer was not acceptable to Alice who inevitably called the school herself to try and get Betty a spot on both the student council and cheerleading squad only to be told no vacancies remained.

 

With that disturbing news, Alice changed tactics and examined each of Betty’s syllabi. Alice moved each due date up two weeks and insisted if Betty wasn’t going to spend any time on the prescribed activities, then she must stay ahead of schedule on her assignments. Alice had been checking her notes and homework on the imposed schedule and required Betty to edit and re-edit the work until it was up to her mother’s impossibly high standards.

 

Each time her mother would look over her work and find it to be unsatisfactory, Betty was required to stay at her desk, pen in hand, and work on the assignment until it was the caliber Alice demanded. 

 

As a result of the pressures at home and the earlier deadlines, Betty was constantly prepared for each class discussion with her pristine notes and new ink pens.

 

The only bright spots in Betty’s weeks were when she was working at the Blue and Gold. Upon entering the room each time, Betty felt a weight lift off her chest. Most of the time she was alone in the office. Even though he was the editor, Jughead wasn’t around the actual office very often. When they did find themselves in the same space at the same time, Betty felt like she was constantly being observed.

 

Jughead’s wry sense of humor failed to hit the mark the majority of the time. His quips and remarks left a bitter taste in Betty’s mouth more often than not and she found herself intentionally avoiding him when they weren’t forced to be together. He seemed to enjoy getting under her skin, constantly calling her Princess and joking about being locked up in her tower. The truth of the assessment cut Betty deeply, so the intended humor of the references fell on deaf ears each time. 

 

Veronica had invited her on various outings with the other heirs and other nobles but Betty had politely declined each invitation. Every excuse from school work to family dinners had been used and Betty was losing her will to push them away as the days went on.

 

One particular Friday, after the last school bell rang, Betty found herself waiting patiently for her driver. She checked her watch for a third time and noted her driver was over thirty minutes late. The school was practically cleared out the second the students were dismissed. What Betty hadn’t expected to see was Archie, Veronica and Jughead stroll through the front doors and into the parking lot. 

 

Betty knew there was no avoiding them, they were already walking in her direction and she quickly checked her watch once more. 

 

“Hey, B!” Veronica called, her friendly smile widening when she saw her Betty hadn’t had a chance to escape school grounds yet. 

 

Betty waved as they approached her. Archie’s arm was slung over Veronica’s shoulder, as always, and Jughead was trailing behind the duo. 

 

“Your driver running late today, Princess?” Jughead teased.

 

“Shut up!” Veronica chastised, reaching over to slap Jughead’s arm. “You guys go on ahead to the car. I’ll be right there.” She looped an arm through Betty’s as the boys made their way to the waiting town car.

 

“Betty, ignore them. The boys are having a game night at Archie’s and my brain will melt if I’m forced to watch another second of a first person shooter game on a Friday night. Will you  _ please _ come to a sleepover at  _ casa de Lodge _ tonight?” Veronica sounded hopeful as she batted her eyelashes and puckered out her bottom lip. 

 

Honestly, Betty wasn’t sure she really needed much convincing to finally give in. A night away from Queen Alice in a different setting sounded a lot like what the doctor ordered. She knew it wouldn’t be easy convincing her mother to allow the impromptu sleepover, but Betty was hopeful Alice may actually agree to it. Veronica was, after all, a ‘mother-approved friend’ for her and their closest ally’s daughter. Knowing the boys would be otherwise occupied in a whole different principality had solidified Betty’s decision to accept the invitation.

 

“That actually sounds really great, V. Let me ask my mom when I get home.”

 

Veronica squealed and wrapped her arms around Betty. “YESS! It’s going to be so much fun, B. I promise you won’t regret it!”

 

Betty’s driver pulled up to the curb while she was still securely in Veronica’s excited, but slightly bruising, grip. He cited a flat tire for his tardiness and begged Princess Betty not to mention the incident to The Queen. She agreed, honestly not wanting anything to upset her mother before she asked about the potential sleepover anyway.

 

“See you tonight!” Veronica called as Betty climbed into the waiting car.

 

Betty rolled down the window to respond. “Hopefully!”

 

They waved one last time before Betty rolled the window up and collected her thoughts in the back seat. She had to think of a way to ask her mother about the sleepover. She had never been to a typical sleepover before. Attending a boarding school kind of made every night seem like a slumber party in the dormitory. A night at Princess Veronica’s, however, was bound to be considerably different. Whether that was good or bad was yet to be determined, but if their growing connection and genuine friendship was any indicator, Betty guessed it would be a good kind of different.

 

As soon as Betty’s driver opened her door in front of the palace, she immediately sought out her mother.

 

“How was school today, darling?” Queen Alice cooed from her seat behind the ornate desk in the study. Her eyes were trained on the desk all the while her sickeningly sweet voice inquired. Betty felt as if her mother couldn’t even be bothered by own daughter’s presence, and she knew her earlier assumptions of a much-needed escape were spot on.

 

“It was great, Mom. We were assigned partners for our midterm project today in English.” Betty mentally patted herself on the back for the web of little white lies she was starting to weave.

 

Alice glanced up for the first time since Betty entered the room, as if she could finally be bothered to look at her own daughter when she spoke. “Your syllabus says that’s not due until the end of the next nine-week period and you still have one week left on this quarter. That seems odd.”

 

Betty already knew her mother would press the subject, her carefully crafted plan going just as she imagined.

 

“The projects are extremely involved and because I’m in the advanced class, the teacher pairs us up early to ensure we have enough time to adequately research and draft our projects. There are various due dates between now and the end of the project so we need to get a head start on it,” Betty easily lied.

 

“I see,” Alice said skeptically.

 

It wasn’t entirely false, as there would be a project involving partners that was due at the end of the next quarter and the syllabus had quite a few due dates between now and then. However, partners hadn’t been assigned, nor would they be; partners were chosen and Veronica claimed Betty as her own the very first day the syllabus was handed out. At the time, Betty didn’t realize how helpful the simple exchange would be, but in the car she decided it could work to her advantage.

 

“Anyway,” Betty began, her web of lies intertwining just as she hoped, “The projects are very involved and we need to get a head start. Princess Veronica has invited me to stay over at her house tonight to start coming up with ideas. It’s a first come first serve basis for topics and we want to make sure we get a good one.”

 

“The prompt was to write a paired piece for a work you have read throughout the semester. I hardly see how that could be construed as ‘very involved’ Elizabeth,” her mother retorted icily.

 

Betty tugged her backpack strap down and off of her shoulder. She set it on the chair opposite her mother across the desk and unzipped it as she pulled out a large and very well-organized binder. She placed it on the desk and opened it carefully, locating the tab labeled ‘English’ before she found what she was looking for. In the very first sheet protector sat her syllabus and she ran a finger down the page until she spotted it.

 

“Many poems, short stories, plays and novels will be discussed this semester. Choose one that speaks to you both and list the themes and ideas the work explores. Make special note of any symbols, motifs, and important quotes from the work. Explain the meaning of each and tell me how they connect to the meaning of your work. You may create a sequel, a prequel, or an adaptation.” Betty recited the words on the page as her finger followed to the final punctuation. She raised her eyes from the page and was met with the sight of her mother across the desk, arms folded and an eyebrow quirked in her direction. The stare combined with the way she pursed her lips in clear displeasure made Betty’s hopes of the sleepover at Veronica’s dwindle.

 

“Fine.”

 

The Queen’s singular word spiked Betty’s mood once more and she couldn’t help the lopsided smile that crept onto her face despite her best efforts to contain it.

 

“Thanks, Mom.”

 

Betty closed the binder and returned it to her bag before slinging it over her shoulder once more. Before she could turn to leave, Alice spoke again.

 

“Before you go, I have a few conditions Elizabeth.” The queen held up a single finger, signaling for Betty to stay put.

 

Queen Alice called Queen Hermione and verified they would be home that night and were aware of the restrictions placed on Princess Betty, which were to also be adhered to under their roof. She had been surprised when her mother told her to go pack her bag after hanging up the phone. She haphazardly threw together a bag of clothes and grabbed her essentials for the night. A short while later, her bag was packed beside her in the car and she was on her way to the Lodge’s castle, escorted by her assigned driver and mercifully sans the Queen.

 

-

 

Exactly two hours after Veronica’s impromptu invitation, Betty’s driver pulled up to a grand castle. The Lodge’s castle was striking, even from afar, and Betty found herself mesmerized by the intricate details in everything she could see. The hedges were trimmed into elaborate shapes, impeccably groomed. There were multiple cars in the large circular driveway, each sparkling so brightly it was as if there wasn’t a fingerprint to be found on any surface. Even the driveway itself was extravagant. The pavers were all dark and laid in a detailed pattern, on the outsides a singular row of white bricks lined the edge and another white line framed the pristine fountain in the middle of the circular drive. Betty was no stranger to wealth, but the Lodge’s castle was a sight for even the most affluent.

 

Betty’s driver opened the car door and carried her overnight bag to the front door of the castle. He rang the doorbell and Betty shifted from one foot to another as she felt her anxiety spike with the thought of who might possibly be on the other side when it opened. Veronica had been more than friendly to Betty when she enrolled at Sweetwater Prep; really Veronica had always been kind to Betty, even when they were children. However, neither Queen Hermione or King Hiram had ever given Betty a warm fuzzy feeling. It was quite the opposite, in fact, as many of their own citizens cited them as cold and demeaning. She had nearly talked herself out of the sleepover all together for fear of interaction with Veronica’s parents when the door swung open, breaking her from the spiraling thoughts.

 

Veronica was already dressed for the occasion. She wore a deep purple robe that fell knee length. It hung open to reveal a matching tank top and short set in the same deep purple silky material. Her signature pearl necklace was still securely around her neck and she capped the look off with fuzzy purple slippers that somehow managed to incorporate a kitten heel into bedroom apparel. Betty smiled at the sight.

 

Betty grabbed her bags from the driver and waved him off before Veronica laced her arm through Betty’s and guided her into the expansive home.

 

“Welcome to Casa de Lodge, B! I’m so glad Mother Gothel let you out for the night,” Veronica teased, not realizing she hit a nerve until she felt Betty stiffen. “Sorry, sometimes I can’t stand my parents so I assume all of the heirs feel the same way, but I didn’t mean anything by it. Your mom is probably really lovely sometimes,” she said attempting to placate Betty’s visible tension.

 

Betty couldn’t help but laugh aloud at the last sentiment. Yeah, sure, her mother could be really lovely…  _ sometimes  _ being the operative word. Veronica chuckled at the outburst and they seemed to share a silent understanding, neither needing to verbally confirm what they both already knew. Being the sole heir to a throne put a lot of pressure on someone. Especially when that someone was a female who was required to marry in order to officially take over the rule of the principality. They were the only two in the entire kingdom who truly understood how much pressure their roles entailed. 

 

“What’s with you and Jughead and the Rapunzel references, V?” Betty asked, wanting to know how much they knew about her pressures at home. 

 

The likening of the situations hit close to home for her and she was afraid they both might know more than they should, afraid they might know just how crazy her mother made her and the darkness that evolved in retaliation to her mother’s suppression. Jughead had struck a nerve with her weeks ago and ever since the ‘crazy’ comment by her locker, Betty had been itching to find out how much they truly knew about her.

 

“We’ve all been calling your Rapunzel since we were kids. Especially Jughead,” Veronica replied, as if it were common knowledge.

 

“Why?” Betty asked, genuinely confused.

 

“Well, to start with, you’ve always been beautiful girl. I mean seriously, stunning, even Jughead ‘I don’t like girls’ Jones admitted it. You’re blonde, your hair was long, you lived in a castle and your mom seemed kind of mean. Sooo, to any rational child, you were basically Rapunzel. I thought you knew.”

 

“No,” Betty replied, soaking in the information and feeling a weight lift slightly off her chest, “No, I had no idea,” she laughed lightly.

 

“Well take it as a compliment,” Veronica offered, steering them into what appeared to be her own wing of the castle.

 

They didn’t seem to know the inner workings of her home life, or her borderline verbally abusive mother. They weren’t aware of the way her fingernails would pierce her skin under the toughest circumstances or the way the tiny droplets of blood dripping from her palms felt as if they were each weighted with her stresses, her worries. They didn’t know each bit of blood brought a feeling of release, as if the problems were leaving her body encased in the tiny red drips; as if they were contained individually in each cell. No, they didn’t appear to know exactly how ‘crazy’ she truly was - and for that, Betty was thankful. She wanted a fresh start this year, a clean slate, and now knowing the backstory for Jughead and Veronica’s nickname, she thought she still might have a shot.

 

Betty changed into her pajamas, a light white cotton set with a simple linen tank top and matching drawstring pants. Veronica insisted Betty wear one of her robes and selected a deep red one, exactly like the purple version Veronica was currently wearing. Betty was honestly surprised Veronica hadn’t insisted she wear an entire matching set in the crimson color and took the robe without question.

 

Veronica had arranged for two masseuses to come in that evening, citing a need for Betty to ‘relax’ and Betty didn’t complain in the slightest. Their evening was full of pampering, complete with manicures, pedicures, and ‘mock-tails’ as Veronica deemed them. By the time the castle cleared out from the litany of personal care employees, which Betty found out were actually on the payroll full-time, Betty was so relaxed she felt nearly boneless.

 

Veronica told Betty her parents were out at a charity event and they wouldn’t be back until nearly sun up. It seemed odd to Betty, her own mother never stayed out past midnight for charity events, even when the Lodges were involved. Something about their regular absences didn’t sit quite right with Betty. However, according to Veronica, it was a regular occurrence and Betty found herself wondering why they hadn’t mentioned it to her mom on the phone.

 

“V, out of curiosity, why did your parents tell my mom they’d be home all night with us?”

 

“That was entirely  _ pour moi _ ,” Veronica said, bringing one of her freshly manicured hands up to press against her chest. She jutted her bottom lip out and feigned exasperation before continuing in a mocking tone. “Daddy, Betty and I have grown to be such great friends but her mother never lets her out of the house. Can she please stay with me tonight? I’m always so lonely when you are both gone and it would mean so much to me, Daddy.” She punctuated the recalled words with a few deliberate bats of her eyelashes before breaking out into a grin and laughing. “Seriously,” Veronica continued, “I know a thing or two about difficult parents and I figured Queen Alice might need a bit of finessing. Daddy never says no to me, especially when I pout.”

 

“Thanks, V. I’ve never actually been to a sleepover before but something tells me they aren’t always this extravagant,” Betty joked. Veronica reached over to grab Betty’s hand and squeezed it affectionately. 

 

“Oh, B. You have so much to learn about being friends with a Lodge. Life is extravagant, dah-ling,” she drawled out the last word in a faux English accent.

 

They both laughed again and Betty was happier in that moment than she had been in longer than she could remember.

 

The rest of the evening was spent with both girls nestled comfortably into the ornate overstuffed black couch in a secondary living space situated in Veronica’s wing of the castle, exclusively for their use. The sofa was a large U-shaped design with a massive ottoman that filled the gap between the sides, effectively creating a raised, cushioned platform for them to sprawl out on. There was a framed section of the wall opposite the couch with a screen nestled inside; an obviously expensive projector hung just above their perches on the couch and images of Cher Horowitz clad in classic 90’s plaid flashed across the screen. They drained the ‘mock-tails’ and both occasionally reached for a handful of popcorn and mindlessly popped piece after piece into their respective mouths, eyes fixated on the story of a girl on the brink of major changes in her life, neither mentioning the undertones that carried their own truth through the movie. 

 

-

 

Archie and Jughead were piled onto the couch at the Andrew’s castle, settled in front of a large TV queued up with the latest Call of Duty. They loaded up on every snack they could find from the kitchen; cheese puffs, pizza, cookies and popcorn littered the table in front of them. King Fred and Queen Mary were out for the night at a fundraiser. 

 

The boys started the game and countless hours passed before they heard the King and Queen return. Laughter echoed off the walls of the foyer and judging by the volume and unbridled nature of their hysteria, Jughead guessed they were more than a little inebriated. 

 

Jughead and Archie scrambled off the couch to greet them and were met with a sight neither particularly wanted to see. King Fred and Queen Mary were tangled in each other’s arms, glued together at the lips and the boys turned on their heels and sprinted away, hoping they hadn’t been seen.

 

As soon as they shut the door behind them, they both burst out laughing.

 

“That was definitely unexpected,” Jughead said between laughs.

 

“Yeah, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them like that,” Archie added.”It’s a mental picture I really wish I could forget.” He shook his head and Jughead laughed louder.

 

They started the game up again, turning the volume up higher to avoid hearing anything they knew could potentially scar them.

 

Hours passed before they ventured outside the room again. They tiptoed down the hallway toward the King and Queen’s chambers as the volume of their snores increased with each step. 

 

“They’re definitely asleep,” Jughead observed.

 

A devious grin spread across Archie’s face and Jughead knew exactly what his best friend wanted to do with the rest of their night.

 

“You coming with me?” Archie asked as they made their way back down the hall.

 

“Sure, why not? It’s not like I have anything better to do anyway,” Jughead conceded.

 

A short while later, Jughead followed Archie as they crept along the back of the Lodge’s castle. He had been tagging along with Archie for months now to his nearly nightly rendezvous with the raven-haired princess. Their parents had gotten used to the close friendship they shared over the years and Jughead was more often with Archie than by himself or at home.

 

He didn’t particularly enjoy sitting on the couch alone scrolling through Netflix. He always had to turn the volume up absurdly loud to drown out the sounds coming from Veronica’s bedroom, but the happiness his best friend raidated after each tryst was well worth the uncomfortable side effects he suffered in the meantime. 

 

-

Cher Horowitz stood by the pool, the movie nearing its end and the minutes creeping by closer to midnight when the sound of a door handle rattling started them both. Betty looked worried, turning toward the interior door she initially came through; Veronica turned her head in the opposite direction as a smile bloomed on her face. They heard the noise again and Veronica jumped up from the couch and rushed toward the far wall that Betty previous assumed contained windows, dressed entirely in heavy black curtains to enhance the theater like feel of the room. Betty was surprised when Veronica ripped back the curtains unceremoniously to reveal a red headed figure on the other side of the glass door. She made quick work of the locks and flung the door open while Betty remained rooted to her spot on the couch.

 

Archie wrapped up Veronica’s tiny frame in a bear hug and she squealed excited before pulling back to rest her arms on his shoulders.

 

“I didn’t think you could come by tonight,” she cooed, adoration shining through her eyes even at the distance Betty currently sat.

 

“The Queen and King had a few too many glasses at a fundraiser and are currently snoring loud enough to wake up the entire principality,” Archie smiled at her.

 

They were both in their own little bubble and Betty found it hard to tear her eyes away from the scene. She longed for a connection like the one they shared. It was obvious to everyone how much they cared for each other. The only interactions Betty had previously been privy to were strictly on school grounds and while they still bordered on PG-13 in public, there was a sense of intimacy flowing between the two of them that told her it probably teetered closer to R-rated interactions outside of the stifling school walls.

 

Just then, Jughead came into view, stepping through the door and maneuvering around the display of affection. The door shut behind him and he made his way over to where Betty sat on the couch.

 

Veronica and Archie were still wrapped up in each other, too mesmerized by their own presence to register the other two in the room when Jughead plopped down onto the edge of the ottoman.

 

“Don’t mind them. Give it five minutes and they’ll remember we’re here too,” Jughead jutted out a finger in the direction of the oblivious lovers and Betty giggled. His eyes settled onto the large framed screen on the wall and she saw his eyebrows raise in realization as the final scenes flashed across the screen. “Really? Clueless?” he laughed.

 

“I’ll have you know,” Betty began, straightening her posture and intentionally turning away from the heated display on the other side of the massive room. “There is nothing wrong with a feel-good coming of age movie. It deals with themes of women’s empowerment and chronicles how Cher deals with life while balancing on the cusp of her own individuality and waning adolescence.” Betty’s tone was matter of fact and she punctuated the thought with a cross of her arms and a small, yet somehow vaguely triumphant huff.

 

Jughead chuckled lowly and shook his head, “Well, maybe we need to add a column in the Blue and Gold for movie reviews. You seem to have a way of extracting the eloquence of thematic issues even in the most basic of movies.”

 

She grinned at the compliment, even if it was steeped in judgement of their chosen entertainment. Before she could form another word, still struck by the lopsided smile that crept onto his face at some point during the interaction, she heard the alternating sounds of soft click clacking and heavy footsteps coming from Archie’s boots and Veronica’s kitten heeled slippers as they made their way to the couch.

 

Veronica resumed her earlier position on the couch and Archie boldly jumped over the back to settle next to her, bumping into Veronica in the process and earning him a playful swat and a giggle from the girl herself.

 

Betty observed Veronica’s playful temperament for a minute before she caught her friend’s gaze, her eyebrows raised in question. It appeared to dawn on Veronica seconds after their eyes connected that she hadn’t even said a word to Betty since the boys interrupted the latter part of their movie.

 

“Oh my god, B! I totally forgot to tell you, Archie comes over some nights,” she motioned vaguely to the boys and Archie snorted beside her.

 

“I think you mean  _ most  _ nights lately, babe,” he jested, winking at his girlfriend.

 

Veronica blushed in return before returning Betty’s gaze once again. “Sorry. I know it was supposed to be a girl’s night. I swear I didn’t think they were coming over tonight,” Veronica offered weakly, clearly not even slightly upset her boyfriend was pressed up against her, cuddling on the couch.

 

“V, it’s really not a big deal. Like my mom always says, the more the merrier,” Betty answered, using her most well practiced, Queen Alice approved, cheerful voice - not really believing the words even as they left her own mouth. Truly, Betty was nervous. Having the boys over was risky, she knew if her mother ever found out, this would be her first and last sleepover, and despite the unexpected interruption, she really was having fun.

 

“Right! Thanks, you’re the best B! Ever since our parents found out we were dating a few months back, they never let us see each other without supervision. These nightly visits mean a lot to both of us. I’m sorry if it’s put a hold on our sleepover.”

 

“Really, V. It’s fine. I mean it’s not like they’re staying the whole night, right?” Betty attempted to keep her voice steady, afraid the waiver of her own nerves would seep into her tone not so subtly hinting at her preferred answer to the question.

 

“Of course not! Archiekins,” Veronica turned toward Archie, “could you imagine what Daddy would do if he found you in my bed instead of Betty tomorrow morning?” she teased, smiling at Archie as his eyebrows shot up nearly high enough to disappear into his hairline and he audibly gulped.

 

“God, no!” he shuddered at the thought. “I’d like to be alive to graduate.”

 

They all laughed heartily at the suggestion and Betty couldn’t help feel an urge to observe the scene as a fly on the wall. To any onlooker, they all appeared to be good friends, simple teenagers, hormones seeping from the cuddled up couple on the couch and their laughs echoing off the walls; it painted the perfect picture of adolescence, she surmised. They must have looked like they all belonged there, together, in that instance. As if there was no rivaling principalities and no kingdom wide political uproar, just four kids, spending their free time with their closest friends.  _ If only it was that easy _ , she briefly thought. Betty knew better than most, appearances weren’t always what they seemed, and their unplanned gathering was definitely far from how it would appear.

 

“Hey, B. Um, Archie left something in my room so we’re just going go back there for a few-” Betty gestured toward Veronica’s room, and she waved them off without a second thought, not wanting to hear another word about what they may or may not be doing in her bedroom within minutes, effectively ending the need for Veronica’s obvious lies. They got up from the couch in record time.

 

“You’re fine. I’ll put on another movie and see you guys in a little bit.” 

 

“Jug, you good, man?” Archie called as both he and Veronica quickly moved toward her room further into the castle wing.

 

“Yeah,” Jughead called back.

 

Betty laughed at the simplicity of the boys’ exchange. She supposed he had been around this exact scene more times than he could count and Archie’s clear lack of masked terms solidified her train of thought. Maybe, if she had been in the fold all along of their friendship, Veronica wouldn’t have had to feel the need to make up an excuse to usher her boyfriend to her bedroom while her newly minted best friend stayed on the couch with the fourth member of their group.

 

Nonetheless, Betty found herself shifting awkwardly on the couch with the remote, all the while avoiding Jughead’s lingering glances. The other times they had been alone, Jughead always made some quip that got under her skin, even when she tried to steel her nerves. Today, however, he was completely silent as she searched through the various titles before finally giving up control of the remote.

 

She tossed the remote at Jughead with no warning, yet he caught it with surprising ease.

 

“Your turn to pick.”

 

“Be careful what you wish for, Princess,” he said with a wink before turning to face the screen.

 

Betty felt a slight blush rise on her cheeks at the nickname that was slowly growing on her. Unlike the first time he labeled her that with an icy tone, this time it felt more like a term of endearment, an inside joke, and the notion of shared inside jokes between the two caused heat to spread further through her cheeks. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been captivated by his devastatingly handsome appearance. She caught herself staring at him from time to time and mercifully had yet to be caught. Thankfully, he was still flipping through the movie selections, quickly dismissing everything in the suggestions section, as she attempted to calm the rising redness.

 

She wanted to say something more, continue stepping on the haphazard path to friendship they appeared to be building despite the familial circumstances, but she couldn’t find the right words to respond. Before she could fully formulate a quick-witted reply, he appeared to have selected a movie. 

 

The words ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ in old script appeared on the screen and the images muted of color seemed strangely fitting in the darkened room with monotone furniture. It was as is if, save for her flaming red robe and his blue denim jacket, everything in the room was devoid of color, absent of signs of the time and fully immersed in the period of the film.

 

“Good choice, Jones. Let me guess, classic films are the only kind you watch?” she attempted to tease.

 

“No,” he turned to face her, resting his back along the far corner of the U shaped supporting structure and stretching his long legs across the ottoman, “I’m all for some gory Tarantino or well thought out complex narratives. Shutter Island, for example, is a favorite of mine.”

 

“So, black and white films, gory Tarantino movies, and complex think pieces,” she rattled off the list, holding up a finger with each category. “Got it.”

 

“Making a list for future reference, Princess?” he teased.

 

“Yes, in fact, I am making a list. A list of movies to avoid watching when you’re around,” she countered, briefly considering adding a wink before thinking better of it.

 

“Is that so, you afraid I’d never leave if I walked in on you watching one of them?”

 

Betty knew she was challenging him and her false bravado was deflating by the second as his stormy blue eyes settled on her own emerald green ones.

 

“Not at all. I know I could run you off easily,” she attempted to joke, instantly regretting the words as they tumbled clumsily from her lips and hung stagnant in the air between them. “I’m more afraid of the unsolicited sarcastic commentary I’m sure you’d provide,” Betty added, attempting to recover from her previous statement.

 

Jughead laughed and shifted further onto the couch, cocooning himself in between the large cushions and rearranging them to create a comfortable corner for himself. “I’ll have you know, my commentary is insightful and thought provoking,” he huffed in feigned annoyance. “Now watch the movie, Princess, and I’ll keep my wise commentary to myself.” 

 

The easy banter between them was oddly comforting to Betty. She found herself relaxing into the couch, only a few feet now from Jughead’s outstretched legs.

 

Jughead’s hand replaced Veronica’s in the silent exchange of unspoken popcorn etiquette. She would reach for a handful and carefully take her time inserting one piece of popcorn into her mouth at a time. He grabbed two handfuls to her one and before she knew it, she reached into the bowl for another handful and felt his long fingers collide with her own at the bottom of the empty bowl. They both pulled back within a fraction of a second, neither saying a word about the drained popcorn reserves.

 

The touch felt startling, mildly electric and her head snapped from the screen to her side, observing his reaction. If he felt it too, he never lead on. She realized she had been staring for a beat longer than she should have and refocused on the screen.

 

Her fingers tingled from the ghost of his contact and the air in the room felt stiflingly thick. Betty felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She got up from the couch quickly in search of a drink. She needed something to sooth her dry throat, her mouth suddenly filled with air thickened by the lack of acknowledgement.

 

“Do you want something to drink?” she offered. Jughead sat still, his position unchanged and giving nothing away.

 

“Sure.”

 

Betty bolted from the room and made her way into the unnecessarily oversized kitchen. She opened the custom chef’s fridge and rifled through the shelves. Her eyes settled on a can of Diet Coke and she plucked it from the shelf before realizing she hadn’t asked what Jughead wanted to drink.

 

She must have looked like a crazy person. He touched her fingers, by accident, for a split second, and she ran from the room. Betty covered her face with her free hand and drug her fingers down the length of it as she let out a deep sigh.  _ Good going,  _ she thought.

 

Betty reentered the room with four cans of soda in her arms. She opted to grab one can of each kind they had and let Jughead pick his poison. There was Sprite, Mountain Dew, and Coke for him to choose from and her singular can of Diet Coke.

 

“I didn’t know what you wanted,” she shrugged, offering him three of the four cans in her arms.

 

“Good choice,” he said before leaning forward to retrieve them.

 

“Which one?”

 

“All of them,” he replied, earning him a genuine giggle from her.

 

“Seriously?” she asked incredulously.

 

“Seriously,” he confirmed, no hint of humor evident in his tone.

 

“All right then,” she concluded with a nod of her head. 

 

Betty had been eating lunch with the other three heirs for the better part of her first nine weeks. She had, on more than one occasion, witnessed him consume upwards of three entire lunches in one sitting and realized that she shouldn’t have found it all that impossible he would finish the three cans of soda in record time.

 

They settled back into the silence for a while. Betty’s heart fluttered and she felt decidedly more comfortable being alone with him.

 

The credits rolled across the screen and Jughead reached to retrieve the remote from the back of the couch where he placed it earlier. He sat up a bit straighter and stared at the coffee table beside the couch and laughed.

 

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, have you let down your hair tonight?” he teased, eyeing the fruity looking drink remnants in the girls’ glasses from earlier.

 

Betty realized what he saw as soon as he said it and couldn’t help but giggle in response.

 

“Only if by letting down my hair you mean drinking far too many of Veronica’s sickeningly sweet ‘mock-tails’ - then yes, yes, I have.”

 

The Rapunzel reference didn’t throw her off nearly as bad this time, knowing the story behind it. It actually left Betty a bit more hopeful than she had been before. Jughead thought she was beautiful once upon a time and the idea that he might still think that way left her cautiously optimistic.

 

“Well, I’m glad,” he said simply before selecting Kill Bill Vol. 2 on the screen.

 

Before the title even graced the screen, they heard the distinct sound of mingling giggles and a door opening.

 

Jughead tossed the remote back to Betty with a wink. “See you around then.”

 

He got up from the couch and met Archie in the hallway.

 

“Ready to go?” Jughead asked.

 

“Yeah. We’ve gotta get back before anyone notices we’re missing,” Archie offered the excuse to Veronica, who was clearly used to it.

 

Veronica and Archie traded ‘I love yous’ between kisses as the boys exited the castle. Veronica shut and locked the door behind them and turned back toward Betty, clearly beaming.

 

“Thank you so much, B,” she said, coming to sit on the couch next to Betty and hugging her friend tightly. 

 

It was as if Veronica was trying to force her happiness into Betty through the bruising grip and the glowing demeanor. Betty appreciated the friendship she and Veronica had forged. While it was still in the fledgling stages, Betty just knew it would become a lifelong connection; and if that meant she dealt with Jughead alone for a while so Veronica could secretly see her boyfriend, well Betty guessed it could have been much worse.

  
  


*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, what did you guys think?!  
> Did you like the sleepover? What do you think will happen next?  
> Leave me a comment & let me know!
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr @bugggghead


	3. 2nd Quarter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much @jandjsalmon for putting your magical beta touch on my (not so) little story. Your input is invaluable and I appreciate all of the time and energy you have dedicated to it. <3
> 
> Also, special thanks to everyone who has supported this little story along the way. @peaceblessingspeyton @lazydaizies @noorakardemmomesaetre @elegantmoonchild @riverdaddy00 @theheavycrown @indiebughead @daisy-chain-gardens
> 
> This chapter is my second favorite in the entire story. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it <3

*

 

 

Jughead started the first day of his second quarter of senior year in the same place he seemed to find himself most other mornings, the Blue and Gold office. He knew Betty spent time in the office after school and during school hours, but mornings were generally his alone time there and he let his thoughts drift as the silence filled the room.

 

Ever since the encounter with Betty at Veronica’s house a few weeks prior, he had been avoiding her. Not because he didn’t want to see her, he saw her in a group setting every day at lunch and often times in the hallway. No, as childish as it seemed, he was avoiding seeing her _alone_. The way she jumped off the couch when their fingers brushed against each other struck a nerve within him. She seemed almost horrified by his touch and though he did admittedly poke fun at her frequently, he hadn’t expected her to be outright repulsed. Thinking back, he had even extended an olive branch to her, saying he was glad she was there that night; but without a return or even mention of the sentiment, he still wasn’t sure how to act around her.

 

As if summoned by his own thoughts, none other than Betty Cooper herself stumbled through the door, clearly distraught.

 

-

 

Betty had a rough morning. Her mother greeted her in the kitchen with a copy of the Blue and Gold in hand, fuming.

 

“Elizabeth Cooper! You are officially off of the newspaper staff effective immediately!”

 

“NO!” Betty protested, shedding her typically calm demeanor in a matter of seconds without registering the consequences.

 

“ELIZABETH! Do _NOT_ speak to me that way! A Jones is the editor and you failed to mention it to me? This is nonnegotiable and my decision is final.”

 

The tears streamed down her face as all of her words caught in her throat, packed together so tightly a single one couldn’t slip out. Alice had disappeared before Betty could protest further. Her mother always had to have the last word in any argument and Betty knew it was pointless to put up a fight.

 

Standing in the kitchen alone, reeling from the loss of her new-found outlet, she let her nails press deeply into her palms. As the tender flesh opened up, she felt the droplets seep out and with it, her tears began to dry up. She increased the pressure until her tears subsided all together. Betty stood there for a few long moments, evening out her breaths and checking the time. She needed to leave for school soon.

 

Betty went to the bathroom and cleaned her hands. She was almost in a trance watching the red tinged water swirl in the sink before escaping down the drain. Once they were cleaned and the bleeding stopped, she put a Band-Aid on her palm and couldn’t help but think of the irony of the situation, she was attempting to close a much bigger wound with a tiny strip of adhesive fabric that would probably wear off before the end of the school day while the real laceration might never fully heal. She wiped her cheeks, touched up her minimal make-up, and regained her composure. She plastered on the carefully pieced together image of the perfect princess while the pieces of her happiness crumbled internally.

 

When she got to school, she immediately went to the newspaper office, wanting to avoid prying eyes. Betty was afraid if someone looked too closely, they might see the fissures in her façade, slowly widening every time she thought about it.

 

She wore a hooded pea-coat with the hood pulled up over her head. The woolen shield combined with her downcast gaze effectively blocked her view of anything other than the few feet of tile floor directly beneath her. As the office door shut, she pulled the hood down and sighed deeply, lost in her own thoughts before the sound of Jughead clearing his throat shook her from the impending spiral.

 

Betty spun around, hoping the chilly fall air was a good enough excuse for the red splotches that surely adorned her cheeks.

 

“Good morning,” she offered weakly, her typically bright demeanor visibly dimmed by the stormy thoughts brewing just under the surface.

 

The hard lines that seemed ever present on Jughead’s face softened a bit and he reached a hand forward to grasp her shoulder.

 

“Betts…” His voice was low, with an undercurrent of questioning and Betty felt the tears prick along the rims of her eyes. Before she could stop it, the dam holding back the droplets gave way and her façade cracked wide open as she sobbed at the realization that the one thing that truly brought her happiness would be ending soon and it was completely beyond her control.

 

“Hey, hey… talk to me…” he pleaded, steering them both to the couch on the far end of the room.

 

Betty sat down and buried her face in her hands. She heard Jughead walk back to the door, she heard the click of the lock followed by more heavy footsteps before the cushions next to her sunk under the weight of his body.

 

She uncovered her face and stared at her hands, intertwining her fingers to prevent herself from drawing blood again and hopefully concealing the flesh covered bandages. Betty knew if he saw them he’d ask questions and she wasn’t sure she could answer them.

 

Neither one of them spoke, instead they both sat perfectly still as the air between them thickened with tension and the seconds ticked by.

 

Betty still hadn’t looked up from her hands and when he reached over and covered her grip with his large, slightly calloused hands, she finally raised her head.

 

“My mom told me I can’t be on the Blue and Gold anymore, Jug,” she nearly whispered, frozen still from the warm sensation of his hands cupping hers.

 

“Well, I hate to say it, but mother doesn’t always know best.”

 

A single laugh escaped her, sounding as hollow as she felt.

 

“I don’t know what to do.”

 

Jughead tightened his grip slightly as he angled his body toward her. “Well, I certainly won’t stop you from ghost writing for the paper. Don’t tell anyone I ever said this, but your writing is far superior to anyone else in this school so I’ll let you keep writing for the paper.”

 

“How?” she asked, genuinely confused.

 

Jughead thought about it for a few minutes. The look of desperation in her eyes speeding up his thought process further than he thought possible. He felt this strange _need_ to comfort her, to help her figure out how to continue her passion under her mother’s radar. He was struck with a flash of genius as the tingling sensation of her skin under his fingertips accelerated the process. “Maybe we can give you a pseudonym. Some of the most famous authors have used pen names throughout history so you can carry on the tradition.”

 

Betty’s eyes widened and she tilted her head slightly, “A pen name….” she repeated as a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Jughead Jones, has anyone ever told you that you’re brilliant?”

 

“Only everyone, all the time,” he winked at her and was rewarded with the bashful scene of Betty ducking her head, trying to hide the impending blush. But Jughead knew it was a feeble attempt, he already saw the tinge of pink rise onto her cheeks before she could look away. “What’s your name going to be?”

 

Betty appeared to think long and hard about the decision, adorably wrinkling her brow in concentration.

 

“Mandy M?”

 

“Any significance?” He asked.

 

“Short for Mandy Moore, the voice of Rapunzel in Tangled. I thought I’d embrace the nickname,” Betty said, as a small smile played on the corners of her lips.

 

Jughead couldn’t help but laugh, “I think that suits you perfectly.”

 

Her smile widened in return and Jughead mentally patted himself on the back for being able to summon such a response from her after what sounded like a rather traumatic morning.

 

They sat there in silence for a few moments, each attempting to control their giddy expressions, turning their smiles into more lopsided grins than anything before Jughead realized his hands were still securely gripping Betty’s. They both pulled back instantly, as if both came to the realization at the exact same second.

 

“Sorry,” he muttered, not exactly feeling sorry about the way his palms still burned from her touch, as if simmering from the contact.

 

“Don’t be,” she replied softly.

 

The silence returned and he looked down again, staring at her hands, missing the feeling of her skin touching his. Betty flattened them against her thighs and Jughead saw the corner of a Band-Aid sticking out from the edge of her right palm.

 

Without thinking about it, still reeling from the previous contact, he reached forward and ran a finger along the small piece of fabric that was visible.

 

“Did you hurt yourself?” he asked.

 

She retracted her hands as if his touch was a flame and she was flammable. He saw another bandage on her other palm and reached forward again to grasp both of her hands, her attempt to fight his pull feeble at best before she uncurled her fingers and turned her palms upward. Jughead’s thumbs brushed over the bandages before he looked back up at her to see tears welling around the rims of her eyes.

 

No one knew about Betty’s unhealthy outlet for her stress. It was embarrassing when she thought about it. _Poor little princess couldn’t even handle the stress of being a royal._ Who was going to feel bad for a pampered princess? When her outward appearance radiated perfection and all-around togetherness, who would think she was falling apart inside? She didn’t know what came over her when she uncurled her palms, revealing the blood-soaked bandages to him. Maybe it was the notion that only another heir would understand her struggles, understand the debilitating pressures that came with the prestigious title. Maybe she hoped he felt the same internal turmoil. Maybe she was just tired of hiding it. Maybe she finally wanted someone to see she wasn’t who everyone thought she was. No matter the reason, when he ran his thumbs along the strips of bandage, she saw his expression soften, even with his gaze still fixed on the shameful secret. She tried not to cry, tried to will the tears to stay inside, hidden from his sight, but when their eyes connected, her best efforts weren’t quite enough and a few rouge tears slipped down her cheeks.

 

He didn’t look appalled, he didn’t look angry – no, Betty thought he looked more concerned, and it made her heart clench uncomfortably in her chest.

 

“Do you remember when you teased me about going off the deep end that morning in the hallway?”

 

“I do,” he said cautiously.

 

“Well, you’re not the first person to say something like that and I know some people think I’m crazy,” she paused, “sometimes even _I_ think I’m crazy. Sometimes it’s just all too much,” she whispered.

 

Betty didn’t expect Jughead to reply. In truth, she expected him to ask her questions about it. She expected him to say something about how ugly her secret was, how crazy it all seemed, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued gently swiping the pads of his thumbs across the band aids.

 

“Betty…” he began, “I don’t think you’re crazy, I never have. I don’t know why exactly you do this to yourself, but I want you to know you can always talk to me when it gets to be too much.” She didn’t immediately answer and he began to feel uncomfortable. Of course she didn’t want to talk to him about her problems, why would she? She barely knew him and all he ever did was tease her in ways that hurt her, albeit unbeknownst to him until now. “I mean, I know you don’t really know me or anything... and I haven’t exactly been the nicest to you, but I promise that’s all on me; it has nothing to do with you. I know you and Veronica have become good friends and all but if you ever need anyone else, just… you know… I hope you’ll let me be that person for you.”

 

Betty stared at him. Her expression was unreadable, almost as if she was considering it, or possibly trying to think of a way to let him down easy. Jughead felt more vulnerable in that instance than he had in longer than he could remember, laid bare, his offer hers for the taking.

 

“Thank you, Jug,” she said softly.

 

The first bell rang, signaling the ten-minute warning before their first classes started and they both appeared to snap out of whatever daze the heavy conversation had put them in. Betty straightened her appearance, smoothed down her skirt and gathered her bag.

 

Jughead had an idea, he slipped his crown ring off of his finger and toyed with it for a minute as she finished gathering her stuff.

 

They met again by the door and Jughead held his hand out, offering her the cool piece of golden metal. She looked up at him quizzically.

 

“Sometimes when I used to get stressed I would just spin this ring to keep my fingers busy. It’s not really a cure and it may not even help but I haven’t had to use it for years and if you want to, you can use it instead.”

 

“Jughead, you really don’t have to do that,” her voice was soft, a mix of grateful and unsure all at the same time.

 

“Just take it. Try it out for a week. If you don’t use it or anything, you can just give it back to me.”

 

She slipped it on her left ring finger, the only one that appeared to be the right size and twisted it experimentally with her thumb. “Thanks,” she replied simply. The halls were echoing with students’ voices and they both attempted to walk toward the door at the same time, their shoulders bumping lightly before Jughead pulled back and gestured for her to go before him.

 

“Ladies first,” he followed her out and watched her walk down the hall a few steps in front of him. As she disappeared into her first class, he could have sworn he saw her thumb swipe across her palm, twisting the ring again and he grinned wildly in response, glad she couldn’t see the pride in his eyes.

 

-

 

Jughead and Betty hadn’t talked about the incident in the Blue and Gold office since it happened a few weeks prior. It was well into the second quarter of school and Mandy M. had been publishing articles for weeks. Betty hadn’t seen much of Jughead alone, but there had been quite a few times Veronica and Betty would meet up with Archie and Jughead, away from the prying eyes of the kingdom and their respective parents. They often hung out at the riverbank or at Veronica’s, when her parents were otherwise occupied. Betty would always let Veronica’s driver Smithers take her to and from the Lodge’s residence, intentionally keeping the knowledge from her mother that Veronica wasn’t the only one present. The other thing she was keeping from her mother was the ring. She carefully slipped it off her finger each time she entered the house and kept it hidden away until she was alone. It had become a bit of a ritual to Betty, slipping it on each morning in the car and off each afternoon.

 

Everything had been going better than she’d ever hoped for in regard to her friendships and she enjoyed herself every time the four of them hung out together. Every once in a while, Jughead would shoot her a sidelong glance, letting his eyes flick down to the golden crown wrapped around her finger and she would nod, silently affirming it was serving it purpose. Since she was given the ring, she hadn’t dug her nails into her palms. She wasn’t sure if the ring was the sole reason or if the combination of having it and spending time with her friends, but either way, she knew the ring was largely helpful.

 

One particular morning, nearing the end of their second quarter of school, Betty found Jughead in the Blue and Gold office. She wandered in and shut the door behind her, carefully locking it before walking over to sit at her desk. She had cleared the desk and tried to avoid working in the office in an attempt to conceal her continued involvement.

 

Betty knew her mother had called the Blue and Gold’s sponsor and told him she was no longer going to be a part of the paper weeks ago. The articles she had been writing were submitted electronically to Jughead via Google Docs, branded with her adopted pseudonym and published stealthily. No one seemed to catch on and it was thrilling, to Betty, to share the secret with Jughead. Veronica and Archie knew as well, but their lack of interest in anything journalistic made it practically insignificant other than their joy that Betty found a way to continue her passion.

 

Jughead appeared to have noticed her entrance and pulled his headphones off before spinning around to face her.

 

“I’ve got a story we need to write,” he began, clearly unphased by her unusual presence in the office.

 

“You’ve got a story **we** **need** to write?” she asked, emphasizing the middle words.

 

“Yup. Have you overheard your mom talking about the alliances this year?”

 

“Unfortunately, I have. The Queen has been on the phone for the last two days. I don’t think it’s going very well, either. I think she was yelling at King Andrews this morning.”

 

Jughead nodded, “Yeah, it was him on the phone. What you don’t know though, is that he was in my dad’s office at my house this morning while they were making the call.”

 

Betty creased her eyebrows and looked at him questioningly. “So, let me guess…. this is our story?”

 

“Exactly. I want to find out why this year, unlike all of the others, our parents can’t seem to figure out the alliances. I know they aren’t all best friends or anything but why can’t they agree this particular year on the trade territories? What's different?”

 

“I don’t know, but I do know something is different this year. I’m not going to say you were right or anything, but there’s a reason I didn’t go back to Quiet Mercy.”

 

Jughead grinned, “Don’t worry Betts, you don’t have to tell me I was right for me to know it,” he teased before winking at her.

 

Betty chuckled, “Don’t let it go to your head or anything,” she rolled her eyes and Jughead’s grin broadened. “I’m in,” she followed up, without needing much time to think, “I want to know what’s going on just as much as you do.”

 

“Well Princess, you’re in luck. I’ve actually been looking into this off and on for a while and I have quite a bit of research already. Look over this and let me know what you think.” Jughead handed off a USB drive as the bell rang, their fingertips slightly brushing.

 

They both turned to exit and as soon as they entered the hallway, they found their best friends caught in a very inappropriate embrace for their current location. Betty turned to Jughead and they exchanged a knowing glance before breaking off to go to their first class.

 

-

 

Betty was in her room after school, pouring over the documents Jughead had on the USB file. There were copies of each previous alliance that seemed to be nearly identical. Each one laid out the Kingdom’s loyalties to the surrounding territories and the trade agreements; and each one had four elegant signatures at the bottom, one for each of the royal families. The last document she looked at was apparently a draft of this year’s alliance agreement. There were two signatures at the bottom, representative of both Greendale and South Riverdale. The two missing signatures weren’t the only thing different about this draft though, it appeared that they wanted to extend the alliances to territories further out, effectively expanding the potential for trades with other kingdoms. It appeared King Fred and King FP wanted to practically double the amount of potential partnering kingdoms in this year's draft. Betty scratched her head and wondered why something like this wouldn’t appeal to her mother. Queen Alice was always talking about the potential for global trade and how beneficial it could be for the Kingdom. Why then, if this effectively gave that to them, wouldn’t her mother want to sign it?

 

The next day Betty arrived at school early and found herself once again in front of Jughead in the Blue and Gold office. He was typing away, as per usual on his laptop and she caught herself staring at him for a minute.

 

The way he furrowed his brow in concentration was strangely endearing to her. He had one unruly lock of thick black hair that curled slightly and had a habit of falling in front of his eyes. Her hand itched with the desire to reach up and tuck it behind his ear, possibly dragging the tip of her finger across his skin in the process.

 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer Betts,” he said, without looking up.

 

Betty felt heat rise to her cheeks and averted her gaze, unconsciously twirling the piece of cool metal on her finger out of what was now habit. She retrieved the USB from her pocket and set it on the desk next to him, earning his full attention. He shut the laptop and pulled off his headphones.

 

“So I have a few questions,” she began, “Number one, why did they want to expand the alliances _this_ year? Number two, why is your dad leading the charge? And number three, why won’t my mom or the Lodges sign it?”

 

Jughead smiled and a sense of pride bloomed in her chest. It seemed he was happy with her observations.

 

“All good questions, Betts.”

 

It never failed, each and every time he used the nickname, she found herself unable to hold back the impending smile. It was strange really, Betty was a nickname already from Elizabeth so shortening it didn’t necessarily make sense, but the way he used it sounded more like a term of endearment and that made her heart beat just a little bit faster.

 

“I can answer the first two, by the way,” he said. “My dad has been talking about expanding the boundaries of the trade agreements for a while. He keeps talking about the potential for wider trade routes. The surrounding kingdoms have been raising their prices on goods for years. They knew New York didn’t have many options for things like grain and meat. Certain materials like oil and steel aren’t mined within New York’s borders either and as the supply dwindles, the prices keep going up. My dad and King Fred have been going outside of the borders to create connections. They’ve found other kingdoms that are willing to supply us for far less. What I can’t seem to answer though, and the reason I’ve brought you into this, is why your mom or King Hiram won’t sign onto the deal.”

 

Betty processed the information. She couldn’t think of a single reason why her mother wouldn’t want in on the deal. King Hiram, on the other hand, could have a litany of potential reasons for denying the alliances.

 

“Did you know that the fortune the Lodge’s have amassed isn’t just from old family money? King Hiram has a hand in a lot of the suppliers’ pockets around here. I know a few years ago he bailed out a steel company and now has a vested interest in their profitability. With that being said, my mom has never been particularly fond of the Lodges. She didn’t even really want me being friends with Veronica now that I think about it, but they have always been our closest political allies so she eventually gave in. Hmmm….” Betty crossed her arms and brought a hand up to tap on her chin, “Why won’t my mother sign an alliance agreement that clearly benefits all of us?” she asked aloud, knowing neither of them actually had the answer yet.

 

“My first thought was the loyalty to the Lodges.”

 

“No,” Betty said dismissively, “My mom is inherently self-centered. Something that could benefit our principality this much would take precedence over loyalty to her. It has to be something else. I’ll think about it and let you know.”

 

“Hey, uh… Betty,” Jughead said with a hint of nervousness in his voice, “I’m glad the ring has been helping you.”

 

He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as one of his hands gripped his bag’s strap on his shoulder and Betty found it absolutely adorable. A rush of adoration surged through her and she reached forward to place a hand on his forearm, stilling his nervous movements.

 

“Thank you again, Juggie. It’s made a huge difference,” she said, voice low and hesitant, as if speaking louder would remind him of her shameful secret. He glanced down to where her hand rested on his arm before dragging his eyes back up to meet hers. He gingerly slid his free hand under her left and used his thumb to spin the ring.

 

Betty’s palm was tingling, alight from the contact of Jughead’s fingertips and when he spun the ring, it felt as if a dam burst inside of her. Every time he looked at her lately, she felt as if all of the air left her lungs. Every time their eyes connected, she struggled to keep her train of thought. Sometimes she would find herself idly staring at him, fixated on the way his eyebrow would quirk or his features would furrow if he was lost in concentration. Initially, she thought her silly crush would dwindle as time went on; but each time they found themselves alone, she noticed something else she liked about him, and the ring she now wore constantly, save for the few hours a day around her mother, made her think about him even when he wasn’t around.

 

The air between them was thick with tension and Betty was afraid if she said something, he might move his hand away. That was the last thing she wanted as he idly spun the golden crown around her finger.

 

Eventually he stopped and returned his gaze to her face. His expression was soft, his eyes seemed to be searching for something in hers and she noticed them glance down at her lips for a split second. She sucked in a breath, leaning forward unconsciously, as if they were magnetized, drifting closer to each other. The final bell for their first class rang and Betty jumped back, torn from her reverie and embarrassed at the thought of what might have just happened. Jughead appeared to be thinking the same thing as he jumped back and they both scrambled to gather their things and head to class.

 

“I’ll see what I can find out from my mom,” Betty said quickly, walking down the hallway almost at their respective destinations. She turned to face him and spun the ring around her finger again without thinking about it.

 

His eyes darted down to the subconscious gesture and he smiled before they exchanged goodbyes and went to class.

 

Betty got the lecture she had been expecting from her first period teacher about the detrimental effects of her individual lateness on the class as a whole. Her cheeks burned red as she squirmed in her seat. She looked down at her hand and spun the ring around again, letting her thoughts of blue eyes and jet black hair help her mentally escape from the torture of the teacher’s words.

 

-

 

It was nearing the mid-way mark of their senior year and Jughead was dreading the upcoming break. He had been spending more and more time with Betty over the last few weeks. Their investigation into the alliances had brought them together more than once outside of the confines of the school. Betty always told her mom she was going to Veronica’s and FP cared less and less about Jughead’s own whereabouts as the battle for the alliances heated up behind closed doors. He had been so preoccupied lately with whatever business King Fred brought to his attention each day. Both King Fred and his father had gone out of town multiple times over the last few weeks, each time citing business to attend to and each time coming home with more metaphorical weight on their shoulders.

 

Betty hadn’t been able to figure out why her mom was so against the proposal. She had been giving Jughead the run down of each conversation she overheard or sending copies of the notes she found discarded in her mother’s office waste bin. Jughead worried about all of her investigating. As the weeks had passed and he had grown closer to her, he had noticed more often than not she was spinning the crown ring. The action became second nature so easily he worried about the pressures she faced at home.

 

Every time she would arrive at school with a sullen look, his heart sank. After a little while though, her bright demeanor always returned and by lunch she acted as if nothing was wrong. If he hadn’t seen the way she incessiently spun the ring each time she talked about her home life, he may have believed there wasn’t more to her altered moods than typical teenage disagreements with her mother.

 

Friday morning, exactly eight days before winter break, Jughead arrived early and found shelter in the Blue and Gold office. When he walked through the door he hadn’t expected to find Betty crying on the couch, her head in her hands and her shoulders slumped.

 

Locking the door behind him, Jughead walked over to her and sunk down onto the sofa beside her, experimentally reaching out a hand to grip her shoulder. He squeezed gently and she looked up. There were mascara streaks down her cheeks and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

 

“Hey… hey, Betts… what’s going on?” his voice was soft and soothing, “You know you can always talk to me.”

 

Her lip quivered and another tear rolled down her cheek.

 

Jughead felt his heart break right then and there for the girl who had always exuded sunshine and rainbows. She was so clearly broken, hurting from something unknown and Jughead wanted so badly to help her, unsure of how he possibly could.

 

“Let me help you,” he whispered.

 

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and licked her lips, the action drawing his attention to her soft pout.

 

“I found something of my mom’s in her office this morning. I was looking for anything to help us figure out why she was so against the alliances and I found this.” She pulled a leatherbound journal from her bag and handed it over to him. The initials AS were prominent on the cover, golden initials shining against the dark black leather wrapped around the pages.

 

Jughead turned it over a few times in his hands, unsure if he was allowed to read it and waiting on Betty’s next words.

 

“It’s her journal from when she was a little older than us. It starts on her eighteenth birthday and runs through when she married my dad. It was hidden in a compartment under her paperwork in her desk and… and-“ She couldn’t seem to catch her breath and Jughead set the journal down in favor of cupping her hands.

 

“Breathe, Betty,” he pled, his voice barely above a whisper, “Whatever it says, it’s not that important. Please just breath.”

 

Betty took a few shuddering breaths, attempting to regain her composure. “It says she was betrothed to your dad,” she reached for the journal and flipped to one of the pages just past the middle binding, “It says their marriage was going to unite Riverdale. It says they were in love.” She looked up from the page and met his eyes, “He cheated on her.”

 

Jughead instantly felt defensive. His father may not have been the greatest dad, but he was extremely loyal. Nothing about the scenario of him being deeply in love and cheating on his future wife seemed to fit the picture Jughead had in his mind of what kind of man his father was. Even when he was younger, Jughead knew his dad was always a one woman man. When his mother and father would fight, they never threatened divorce. Instead opting for frequent days of silence and avoidance until their inevitable reconciliation. His father was never unfaithful and it just didn’t seem to add up to him, “No… No way. That can’t be true.”

 

“Jughead… What if that’s why my mom doesn’t want me around you? What if that’s why she won’t sign the deal your father put together? What if she’s still hurt and that’s why she’s so angry?”

 

“Betty… that happened years ago,” Jughead’s tone was weary as he shook his head, not fully believing a teenage infidelity would cloud Queen Alice’s judgement on a kingdom wide matter decades later.

 

“I know that, Jug, but you don't know my mom. You didn’t read the rest of her entries. My whole life is a lie.” The tears began to well up in her eyes again and his heart clenched uncomfortably in his chest for the umpteenth time. Watching her break down hurt him in a way he couldn’t explain. “She didn’t really love my dad. She was heartbroken after the engagement ended and she kept calling him the ‘safe choice’, the ‘right choice’ after what your dad did to her. It’s as if my whole life was built on a strategic decision instead of two people loving each other. Everything I know about her is a lie and I don’t know how to-“  she took a deep breath, before continuing with a more even tone and lower timber to her voice, “I don’t know how to handle that.”

 

“You whole life isn’t a lie, Betts,” Jughead assured her. “Sure, maybe your mom and dad weren’t soulmates, but they stayed together until you lost him. They both cared about you and royal marriages aren’t always the ones to be envied anyway. If it brings you comfort you could think of it more as an arranged marriage. Plenty of royal families do that and the couples in question go on to live long and happy lives.”

 

“I guess you’re right, Jug. What do you think? Could this have anything to do with the alliances? I mean, do you think it’s possible that she’s just refusing to sign out of spite?”

 

“Honestly, no. I really think there would have to be more to it than being angry about a past relationship but there is that old saying, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’.” The sentiment earned him a light laugh from Betty and he glanced down at her.

 

Her tears had dried up, in their place were light trails of mascara and pink-splotched cheeks. Even in her current state, Jughead couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was.

 

“Hell hath no fury like Queen Alice scorned,” Betty repeated, adding in her own twist. “You don’t know my mom the same way I do but I wouldn’t put it past her to let something like this affect her judgement even after all these years. She can be awfully petty and she holds grudges worse than anyone I’ve ever met. I’ll see what I can find out about it.”

 

“No!” Jughead replied quickly, almost vehement, which caught Betty off guard and caused her to tilt her head and raise an eyebrow in question. “I just mean that you shouldn’t be provoking your mom… I just… I worry about you.” He reached forward and touched the metal crown that now seemed to belong more to her than himself, spinning it lightly. She turned her palm and laced their fingers together.

 

They both stared at their hands, intertwined and he gently squeezed.

 

They both raised their heads at the same time, their breaths becoming shallow.

 

“Thank you, Juggie,” she whispered, “for worrying about me.”

 

Jughead gently swiped the pad of his thumb over her knuckles and she leaned forward. He saw her eyes flick down to his lips and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer, leaning in to press his lips against hers.

 

There was no hesitation on her part, the soft pressure of their lips encouraging them both. Jughead brought his free hand up to cup her cheek and tilted her head to the side gently, applying more pressure to their kiss. She melted into his touch, disentangling their fingers before she cupped his cheeks between her palms. The soft push and pull of their embrace slowly gave way to more heated pressure. Before they got carried away, Betty pulled back, leaning her forehead against Jughead’s and taking a deep breath.

 

“I have wanted to do that for a long time,” he said, attempting to break the silence. For weeks, a part of him had wanted her to know he liked her. When she looked at his lips, the surge of confidence that rushed through him solidified his notion that she might like him as well.

 

Basking in the intimacy of the current moment, her hands cupping his cheeks, his long fingers tangled in her hair and their foreheads resting against each other, he felt himself smiling like an idiot, unable to contain the elation he felt. His lips were still tingling from her touch.

 

“Me too,” she breathed after a long moment.

 

The reassurance was all he needed to twist his head once more and capture her mouth with his own. The made out languidly on the Blue and Gold couch for a few minutes before the bell rang, effectively breaking their moment.

 

“Fucking bell,” he said, “always interrupting our moments.” Jughead chuckled and Betty ducked down as she giggled as well. She dropped her hands from his face and he left his buried in her golden tresses. He used the leverage to pull her forward and place a kiss on her forehead before she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and held her tiny frame close to him, encasing her in his embrace.

 

“Can I see you later?” he asked, aware of the timer ticking down before the next bell rang.

 

“I see you at lunch every day, Jug.” She tightened her arms and squeezed him slightly, burying her head further into his chest.

 

“It’s not enough,” he replied.

 

She pulled back and pressed her lips lightly to his once more before grabbing her bag to head to class.

 

He captured her wrist and pulled her back into his arms, capturing her lips in a bruising kiss that left them both breathless and late for class.

 

-

 

It had been a week since their first kiss and Betty was positive she had spent every single minute of it thinking about Jughead. He had surprised her with his concern over her home situation. He didn’t even know what was truly going on, he didn’t know about Queen Alice’s overbearing nature or her verbal lashings and yet somehow he said the perfect thing at the perfect time. It was as if they had a deep unspoken understanding of each other and Betty smiled thinking about the way his lips felt against hers. She had such a hard time keeping her hands off of him the last week. They hadn’t been able to see each other outside of school yet, their schedules never quite lining up.

 

Over the rest of the week, they found themselves wrapped in each other’s arms every chance they had during school hours.

 

Betty now knew exactly how his soft lips felt pressed against her neck and how good it felt when he bit lightly into her bottom lip. She knew what he tasted like and what the hard planes of his abdomen felt like under fingers. More than anything, Betty knew she wanted to know more. She wanted to know everything about him.

 

It was the last day before break and the final bell rang twenty minutes before. Betty was pressed against the Blue and Gold door, covered by Jughead’s body as he assaulted her neck and gripped her hips.

 

“I’m going to miss this,” he whispered between kisses, trailing them up her jaw to meet her mouth. “I’m going to miss this,” he said again as they broke for more seconds before connecting their lips once more.

 

In one week, she had learned what he liked, their silent cues more often than not egging the other on without the need for words. He liked it when she gripped his shoulders, he liked it when she made the first move, he liked it when she cupped his face, and he _really_ liked it when they were flush against each other just like this. His growing arousal pressing into her center.

 

“Jug, I have to go,” she breathed between kisses. “I’ll see you at Veronica’s tomorrow. I promise.”

 

He pulled back and brought a hand up to frame her jaw, sliding his thumb over her cheek with a featherlight touch, “It’s not soon enough.”

 

She melted at the sentiment and found herself locked in a heated exchange once more.

 

-

 

Betty was still high on the feeling of Jughead’s lips against hers when she wandered through her front door, she was too preoccupied with the earlier events, stuck in her own haze of happiness to remember the ring she was mindlessly twirling around her finger.

 

She went upstairs to leave her backpack in her room and nearly bumped into her mother in the process.

 

Queen Alice’s eyes immediately locked onto the piece of molded gold wrapped around her ring finger and her presence suddenly became menacing.

 

Alice reached forward and forcefully grabbed Betty’s hand, pulling it closer to inspect. “Elizabeth Cooper, what the HELL is that on your hand?”

 

Before Betty had an opportunity to reply, Alice ripped it from her finger and tossed it to the side, ridding it from her hand as if it would burn. “Spare me the lies Elizabeth. I know that’s a Jones family heirloom. I know who has been wearing it for years now. You need to give it back. I have half a mind to throw it away as is. Get it out of my house. You are grounded for the rest of the school year. No sleepovers at Veronica’s, no brunches or lunches or whatever else you had planned for this break. You are to remain in this house at all times!” Alice turned on her heel and disappeared into the office, slamming her door on the way in.

 

Betty didn’t have a chance to protest as her anger welled up in her chest, she felt the tears stinging the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away, mad at her tear ducts for betraying the seething exterior she was attempting to maintain.

 

She took a deep, shuddering breath and pressed her nails into her palms. The pressure allowing her to recollect her thoughts and she realized the ring was still in the hallway somewhere.

 

Her eyes dropped to the floor, searching for the ring she so desperately wanted back on her finger. She was surprised her mother didn’t take it from her, but the way she looked at it with disgust made Betty think she didn’t really want to touch it to begin with.

 

The events rolled around in her mind for a few minutes before she had enough. She slid the ring back on her finger and marched over to her mother’s office, swinging the door open until it hit the wall on the other side.

 

“No, Mom, I will _not_ be grounded. No, Mom, I will not give Jughead his ring back.” Betty’s voice grew louder and louder as she slammed her fist down on the top of her mother’s desk in an act of defiance. “And no, Mom,” she paused, regaining her composure, her voice taking on an icy tone, “I will not be talked to like a child. I’m done listening to you. I’ll be eighteen soon, what are you going to do then? The kingdom will be mine in a matter of months. So, kick me out, lock me up, it doesn’t matter what you do right now – I. Am. Done.,” she said with a sense of finality.

 

“Elizabeth Cooper, don’t you dare talk to me like that,” Alice warned.

 

“Or what mom? What are you going to do?” Betty taunted. “Anything you could do to me wouldn’t be nearly as bad as what I do to myself. Do you see this mom?” she sneered, pushing her palms into her mother’s view. “You make me do this. Your need to control every single thing I do - your pressure to be the perfect daughter, the perfect heir, the perfect princess - you make me do this to myself and I want you to see the ugly truth.” Her palms were bloody, the angry red crescents on full display before her mother’s eyes. The few minutes without the ring was long enough for her old habit to come roaring back with a vengeance. Alice stared at her daughter's palms, stunned by the admission. She couldn’t seem to formulate a response and Betty decided she would be the one to have the last word this time, “I’m going out. Don’t come looking for me. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

 

Betty swiftly existed the room and subsequently the castle, needing to be as far away from home as possible in that moment.

 

Betty attributed her mother’s lack of protest to the shell shock she was so obviously feeling. She didn’t know what was crossing her mother’s mind at that moment, she just hoped it was the visual of her toxic stress relief burned into her mother’s brain.

 

Betty’s driver pulled up to Veronica’s and let her out without a word.

 

Her best friend must have sensed Betty’s turmoil, the mascara stained tears still trickling down her cheeks when she rang the doorbell because Veronica greeted her at the door with a bruising hug. “You don’t have to tell me anything, B. But you do need to know that I’m here for you. Always.”

 

Veronica’s parents were out that night, as they often were. Betty could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen the Lodges home and silently thanked whatever higher power allowed her to have the house alone with Veronica.

 

The girls were in the living room in Veronica’s wing, a few hours had passed and Betty filled Veronica in during that time. She told her about the blossoming relationship with Jughead, told her about the fight with her mother and the family drama between the Jones’ and Coopers, she told her about the ring and finally, she uncurled her palms and showed her best friend the deep red marks indicative of her internal struggles.

 

Veronica didn’t appear to know how to respond, opting instead to wrap her friend again in a fierce hug.

 

“I’m always here for you, B. Anything you need.”

 

“Thanks, V.”

 

Veronica appeared to be deep in thought about something when they broke apart. Betty was debating whether to ask what was on her friends mind or not when Veronica finally piped up. “The boys were going to come over tonight. I talked to Archie before you showed up and they were planning on coming by around this time.” She turned to face Betty, her expression still soft and her voice a bit lower, “I can tell them not to come if you want.”

 

Betty didn’t even have to think about her answer, “No, please, tell them to come.” She knew she wanted to see Jughead. She needed to talk to him. She was nervous, knowing her hands held the evidence of her earlier indiscretion. Betty was afraid he would be mad that she had hurt herself again, but she knew after she told him the story surrounding the events, he would understand. “Oh, uhm… don’t tell Archie yet … you know, about Juggie and I.”

 

Veronica smiled at her best friend, “Of course, B. You guys can spill the beans to my red headed prince whenever you’re ready. But B,” she reached forward to lay her hand on Betty’s, “Just for the record, as long as you’re happy, I think it’s really great.”

 

Betty’s face lit up, her grin wider than she’s sure it had ever been, “Thanks, V.”

 

-

 

Jughead followed Archie around the back of the Lodge’s residence, familiar by this point with the well worn path they used to enter the castle. They knocked on the door and Veronica swung it open instantly.

 

Archie and Veronica greeted each other but Jughead’s eyes were fixated on a flash of blonde hair inside. He pushed past his friends and went to sit on the couch. Something wasn’t right. Betty had her hands grasped together, staring at them intently. He looked back at Archie for a second to ensure he was still wrapped up in Veronica before reaching out to lay his hand over her own.

 

“Betts, is everything okay?”, he asked, sure the answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

 

Just then, Archie and Veronica decided to enter the room, the sound of the door closing snapped Jughead and Betty out of their private moment.

 

Jughead retracted his hands so fast he missed the look of disappointment on Betty’s face.

 

“We’re gonna go to Veronica’s room for a minute. I uh-“

 

“Arch, it’s fine. Go!” Jughead said, almost too enthusiastically.

 

As soon as they were out of sight, Jughead looked back at Betty. She was still grasping her hands and staring at them. He thought about asking her again if everything was okay, but as the minutes ticked by, he knew it wasn’t.

 

“I told Veronica… about us. I mean- I told her that we had been kind of sort of seeing each other. I didn’t mean to it just-“

 

He reached forward and placed his hand on her clasped ones once more. “It’s okay. I don’t care who knows… Come here,” he said, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. It had been hours since he held her and the emptiness he felt ever since was filled within seconds. She returned the embrace and he placed a kiss along her hairline.

 

“My mom found your ring,” she said eventually, “she told me I was grounded.”

 

Jughead pulled back slightly and quirked an eyebrow in her direction, “You don’t seem very grounded right now.”

 

Betty brought her hands between them and turned her palms upward. Jughead saw the crimson marks, clearly fresh on her palms. “I showed her my hands. I told her it was all her fault. I don’t think the grounding stands right now. I just left and told her I’d be back tomorrow. I had to get out of there.”

 

He reached down to fold them together and brought them up to press his lips against her knuckles. Betty looked from her hands to his face and leaned forward. Their lips met in the middle. The kiss was hungry, urgent. Jughead tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss. Her hands were tangled in his unruly locks and his found purchase on her waist. The kiss lasted for endless minutes, both only breaking to gulp in air before finding their place again. The show of affection said everything that neither of them could put into words. It said you’re safe, I’m here for you, it might have even said I’m falling for you, but neither let their thoughts catch up as their lips moved against each other’s.

 

-

 

Betty returned home the following day, fondly remembering her time with Jughead on Veronica’s couch.

 

Archie and Veronica had emerged a few hours later to find she and Jughead languidly making out, nestled in the cushions. She had been laying down with Jughead’s body mostly covering her. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of how it looked. Truthfully, if they hadn’t come out when they did, she was afraid they might have seen much more than they bargained for.

 

Queen Alice wasn’t home when Betty walked through the door. She made her way upstairs and let the exhaustion wash over her. She slipped the crown ring from her finger into her pocket and crawled into bed, despite the early hour, and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.

 

She was awoken later that day by the sound of knocking at her bedroom door.

 

“Come in,” she replied groggily.

 

Her mother emerged from behind the door and made her way into the room. Betty straightened up and her mother sat down beside her. Neither spoke for a moment, unsure of where to start the dialogue.

 

“I didn’t know you did that to yourself. I used to do it when I was younger but I never thought you’d develop the habit. I’m sorry if my expectations are too high. I just want you to have every opportunity I didn’t.”

 

Betty didn’t know what to say, somewhere deep inside, she knew her mother loved her. Betty knew her mother truly wanted her to have a better life, but Betty also knew her mother’s need to control every detail of her life lead her to where she was now, raw palms and crippling anxiety.

 

“I loved him, you know,” Alice said suddenly. “I loved him more than I ever thought possible. FP Jones broke my heart, Betty….” Betty saw her mother’s hands twist together awkwardly, in exactly the same way hers did when she got nervous. “I never forgave him,” she paused, “I haven’t changed my mind about them, Elizabeth. I still don’t want you involved with a Jones, but I wanted you to know why.”

 

“So, you’re telling me, because you got your heart broken as a teenager by his dad, Jughead and I can’t be friends?” Betty said, her sympathy drying up and turning into annoyance.  Despite her mother’s vulnerable display, Betty couldn’t bring herself to feel sorry for her. “It’s been over twenty years mom and I’m not going to feel sorry for your teenage heartbreak. I care about Jughead and no matter what you say or what you do, nothing will change that. Even if I never saw him again, there’s not a single word that you could say that would make one bit of difference.”

 

“Some wounds never heal, Elizabeth,” Alice spoke softly, “I don’t expect you to understand right now, but I still forbid you from seeing him.”

 

“But-“ Betty attempted to argue before being cut off.

 

“No buts, Elizabeth. My decision is final. Hate me all you want, but I promise I’m just looking out for you. I don’t care if you see Veronica. I won’t keep you grounded here for all of break but you and Jughead are done.”

 

A single tear rolled down Betty’s cheek as Alice exited the room. She knew it honestly wasn’t going to be that different from their current arrangement. No one, except Veronica and Archie, knew she and Jughead were involved with each other anyway. No one except for King Hiram and Queen Hermione who inevitably saw them together under their own roof, though they had been mercifully quiet about it to her mother, probably thanks to Veronica. The newest talk with her mom only solidified the secret nature of their relationship. They wouldn’t be able to tell anyone, wouldn’t be able to casually kiss in the halls, or hold hands in public, a ‘normal’ relationship was completely off the table. The loss of those quintessential rites of passage hurt Betty deeply, but even without all of those things, she knew having him - no matter what the cost - was far better than the alternative. No matter what her mother said, she wouldn’t give him up. Not now, maybe not ever.

 

Betty curled back into a ball on her bed hoping to fall asleep again, hoping to quell the swelling anxiety in her chest. If she was asleep, she reasoned, she wouldn’t be able to replay her mother’s words over and over again in her head.

 

She reached into her pocket and retrieved the ring, slipping it onto her finger again. She knew her mother might walk in the next morning and see it on her hand. It was a risk she was willing to take, she thought, twisting the ring on her finger constantly until sleep overtook her.

 

 

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, thoughts?! Theories?!
> 
> What did you think of Queen Alice? How great was Jug? Don't you just want to hug Betty? ALSO, we finalllllyyy have Bughead!
> 
>  
> 
> Drop me a comment and let me know what you thought of the chapter. I appreciate every single bit of feedback. <3
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> Come find me on Tumblr @bugggghead


	4. 3rd Quarter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much @jandjsalmon for putting your magical beta touch on my (not so) little story. Your input is invaluable and I appreciate all of the time and energy you have dedicated to it. <3
> 
> Also, special thanks to everyone who has supported this little story along the way. @peaceblessingspeyton @lazydaizies @noorakardemmomesaetre @elegantmoonchild @riverdaddy00 @theheavycrown @indiebughead @daisy-chain-gardens @a92vm
> 
> This chapter is my absolute favorite in the entire story. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it <3
> 
> ALSO - I've put a rating on the story finally - M for Mature

*

 

 

Winter break passed far too quickly for anyone’s liking. The few short weeks between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third were packed full of royal engagements and sneaky rendezvouses.

 

The Kingdom wide events for Christmas and New Years had both been hard for Betty and Jughead. All of the heirs were in the same room with their parents, impeccably dressed, perma-smiles affixed to their faces, and it took everything Betty had in her not to casually touch Jughead like she had become so accustomed to behind closed doors. On days like that, when the public’s eyes were on them, she kept the ring in her pocket, acting as a constant reminder of her connection to him. If she started to feel anxious or overwhelmed, she’d simply reach down and grasp the metal, letting the little golden crown soothe her frayed nerves.

 

Admiring him from afar only fueled the burning desire she had been harboring behind closed doors for weeks. They weren’t entirely innocent during the break, Betty wound up secretly seeing Jughead on a few occasions at Veronica’s, unbeknownst to their parents, and always under the cover of darkness.

 

When they were finally alone, they would talk for hours. Neither had discovered any new leads on their article during their time apart, but she would fill him in on all of the other events at home and he did the same. Their talks always seemed to end the same way, each time, when the conversation dwindled, they found themselves taking full advantage of their rare moments of solitude. They were learning their way around each other, steadily taking their explorations just a bit further. Neither had ventured below the waist quite yet, but Betty knew after a few more times alone, it could very well go that far. Truth be told, she wanted it to; she wanted him in a way she had never wanted anyone, and it was both terrifying and thrilling for her all at the same time.

 

The first day back at school, Betty eagerly arrived as soon as the gates were unlocked over an hour early. Her mother had been preoccupied that morning with a royal engagement and Betty was glad she could sneak away earlier than normally allowed. She waited patiently in the Blue and Gold office for Jughead to show up.

 

They had already arranged the rendezvous a few days earlier when they’d seen each other last and Betty had missed him terribly since. Rationally, she knew a few days without him wasn’t that big of a deal, but what they had was still so new and electric that she had begun missing him the second he was gone, days before. The want and longing only grew stronger as the days passed.

 

He walked through the office doors and Betty all but jumped him, pressing him against the door and capturing his lips. Time was irrelevant as they got lost in the embrace, teeth clashing and tongues twisting. He locked the door before backing her up through the room until her knees buckled against the couch and they crashed down onto the cushions.

 

Their lips were still hovering a few inches apart and they both laughed.

 

“Hi,” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

 

“Hi,” she returned quietly, but with a happy smile.

 

He leaned down and closed the minimal distance between them. This time their kiss was softer, sweeter, gently pressing his lips against hers, no tongues or teeth, just pure adoration radiating between them.

 

“I missed you,” she whispered, her voice so low he could barely hear it.

 

“I missed you too,” he returned, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

 

They shifted on the couch until they were both on their sides, Jughead’s arms wrapped securely around her shoulders and she wrapped hers around his waist. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent. It was a mix of sandalwood and soap, an intoxicating smell she had longed to breathe again. Just his scent alone sent shivers up her spine. The feel of his arms holding her close was enough to clear her mind of all of the turmoil in her life. As long as she had him, she thought, everything would all be okay.

 

Their connection had been deepening, compounding exponentially day by day, and Betty knew she was falling hard for him. They would both be eighteen in a few short months, both legally considered adults. Both rightfully taking their place more fully in the running of their kingdoms. Betty would ascend the throne shortly after her 18th birthday, relieving her mother - whether she was ready or not. They had talked about it late one night at Veronica’s, about waiting until then to come clean to their parents. Neither Queen Alice nor King Forsythe would be too happy, but once they reached that milestone, it wasn’t their parent’s decision to make any longer, regardless of their surnames and titles.

 

The bell rang a short while later, signaling their need to separate and gather their things.

 

They walked down the hall, maintaining a painful distance, just close enough to feel each other’s presence but far enough away not to touch. They said their goodbyes with longing in their eyes and went about their normal routine all the while pretending they didn’t mean everything to each other.

 

-

 

The spring formal was coming up at the very end of the quarter. It was still weeks away, but Betty was nervous about whether or not Jughead would ask her. Whether that was something she was even allowed to wonder about given their situation.

 

They had continued seeing each other in private, meeting in the Blue and Gold offices or at Veronica’s house under the guise of a ‘girls only’ sleepover or a ‘study date’.

 

Betty still wore the ring every chance she got, which had become far less often as of late. After her mother’s outburst the previous semester, during the school weeks, she had started leaving it in her locker to avoid Alice unintentionally finding it. At the end of each day, she’d slip if off and place it carefully in a box on the shelf for safe keeping until she could return. With Jughead’s support, she had been able to avoid any recent breakdowns, and Betty finally felt as if she was gaining some semblance of control over the state of her mental health.

 

She and Jughead met for their now comfortable morning routine, kisses in the Blue and Gold and lingering glances in the hallway. Today though, unlike most days, they decided to meet in the office for lunch as well, their insatiable appetites for each other growing more ferocious with each passing day.

 

Jughead was already there, halfway through his cafeteria tray when she entered the office, with her own brown paper bag in hand. She kissed him softly in greeting and sank down onto the couch next to him. They ate in silence, letting the feel of their thighs pressed together ease the near-constant ache they both felt to be close to one another.

 

Betty was barely halfway through her Alice Cooper approved lunch when Jughead polished off the last bites on his tray.

 

“I don’t know how you do it, babe. That bird food would never fill me up.”

 

“I’m not so sure filling me up is the goal,” she laughed, taking another bite of her low fat cottage cheese.

 

“Betty...” he began, his voice laced with concern.

 

“It was just a joke, Jug. No need to worry about it,” she assured. Not wanting to talk about her controlled diet any longer, Betty decided it was as good a time as any to ask him about the dance. “So, Jug… how do you feel about school dances?”

 

“Why Betty Cooper, are you asking me to the Spring Formal?” Jughead said in a mocking tone.

 

Betty laughed at his antics and lightly swatted his arm. She was finished with her lunch and placed the containers back in her bag before turning to face him.

 

“No. I am not asking you to the dance, I’m simply wondering if you would ever even consider going,” she said defensively.

 

“Do you want to go?” he asked, his voice a bit softer and his gaze fixed on her.

 

Betty squirmed a little in her seat. She didn’t want to sound desperate, but a large part of her longed for the normalcy of a school dance with her possible boyfriend. They hadn’t talked about official labels yet, but they had both made it abundantly clear they only wanted each other. Betty actually thought their lack of definition would bother her more than it did most of the time. The memory of his lips on hers and his fingers grasping her hand quelled any doubts that crept into her mind when she thought too hard about what the undefined could mean.

 

“Yes,” she finally answered, “I do, but I don’t want to go if you don’t. I mean-“ Betty took a deep breath, she wasn’t sure if it was the right time to bring up the conversation of what exactly they were, but she didn’t see any other way around it. “What I meant to say is, If you go, I’ll go. If you don’t want to, then neither do I. I just – I just don’t want to go with anyone else… that’s all.”

 

Jughead reached a hand forward and slid his fingers along her jaw and into her hairline, the light touch sent shivers up her spine. No matter how many times they touched, or how many kisses they shared, the simplest contact with him never ceased to set her heart aflutter.

 

“Betts, if you want to go, I’m in. I’ve never been one for school dances, but I’ve also never felt like this. So, if you’re in, I’m in,” he said sheepishly.

 

The simplicity of his words combined with the gentle pressure of his thumb swiping across her cheek calmed her nerves. She leaned her head into his touch and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his in a well-practiced motion.

 

When they broke apart, Betty thought about his words again. _‘I’ve also never felt like this.’_ Truthfully, neither had she and as much as it scared her, it also warmed something deep in her heart. She had known for a while that she was falling for him, but at what point did falling turn into fallen, she wondered. Did she love him?  Was she in love with him? She slowed down the thoughts that were running away from her and decided to tackle the first obstacle in their ‘not so well defined’ dynamic.

 

“Juggie,” she spoke softly, “what are we doing here? What are we?”

 

She couldn’t meet his eyes, instead choosing to settle her gaze on his lips. His tongue peeked out to swipe across his bottom lip and Betty was captivated by the sight. It took every ounce of her self-control not to ravish him right then and there, but the idea of him answering her burning question outweighed the fantasy of another heated encounter on the couch in the Blue and Gold.

 

“What do you want us to be?” he asked in return, his voice low and uneasy.

 

Betty looked back up at him and reached forward to cup his face between her hands. “I want you,” she whispered with a hint of vulnerability.

 

Jughead smiled in the split second it took for his brain to register her words before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his again. The kiss turned heady in seconds, nearly drugging. He pulled back for a brief moment, “Me too,” fumbling from his lips before they found each other’s mouths once more.

 

When they finally parted, both breathless with kiss-swollen lips, Jughead spoke again, “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”

 

Betty giggled and pressed her lips lightly against his cheek. “Jughead Jones, you have untold depths. Between the sappy romance and Disney movie references, I’m not even sure who I’m speaking to anymore. If someone told me a few months ago that you’d be quoting lines from _The Notebook_ to me, I would have bet everything I owned against it.”

 

Jughead laughed, “Yeah well, sometimes love can make someone a little crazy.”

 

The L word hung in the air between them, becoming stagnant with each passing second. Betty looked at him and saw nothing more than a beautiful boy, fully exposed and at her mercy.

 

“Did you-“ she started, unsure if he was willing to acknowledge it so soon.

 

“Yeah,” he exhaled nervously, “It uh- it just kind of slipped out.” He pulled back slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. She knew it was a tell of his, a gesture that signaled he was anxious.

 

“I love you too,” she finally replied, the words feeling more right than she imagined, already akin to a reflex.

 

His face softened and the lopsided smile that rested on his cheeks warmed her heart.

 

“Betty Cooper, I love you. I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with you and I don’t know how to stop it. Really, I don’t want to stop it. You’re incredible and I still can’t believe you chose me. I don’t know what I could have ever done to deserve you.”

 

Betty’s heart ached at his glaring insecurity. She never wanted him to feel as if he couldn’t be loved. In fact, she wanted the exact opposite. She wanted to show him he was deserving of the deepest love. The love she felt had become so overwhelming at times that she nearly choked from the pressure in her chest.

 

They were both smiling like idiots at each other, a wide grin plastered on each of their faces, basking in the blissful moment.

 

“So, I guess I don’t have to ask if I’m your girlfriend,” she joked.

 

“What?! You want to be my girlfriend?” he said in mock surprise, “I’ll have to think about that.”

 

He winked at the end and Betty lightly swatted at his arm. Jughead captured her wrist and pulled her in for a thorough kiss. The push and pull of their connection once again speaking volumes their words never could. She poured all of her adoration and overwhelming affection into the simple kiss. Unlike their previous trysts, this kiss was pure. Neither deepening the exchange for fear of ruining the moment; the simplicity of the kiss conveying the depth of their feelings in just the right way.

 

-

 

The Spring Formal was in a matter of weeks and Veronica kidnapped Betty one Saturday to go dress shopping. Shopping with Veronica Lodge was utterly exhausting, Betty knew from previous experience, but she couldn’t deny that Veronica had an eye for fashion. Ultimately, the risk of throbbing feet and sore arms at the end of the day paled in comparison to the degree of helpfulness Veronica would surely be in the search for the perfect dress, and Betty found herself excited about the trip.

 

Betty always loved spring, it was as if the earth finally started to wake up after a long hibernation. Temperatures were rising as spring made its grand entrance, complete with blooming flowers and vivid green landscapes.

 

She stared out the window of the Town Car at the passing fields and mused at the metaphor forming in her mind. The earth was alight with life, her budding romance was flourishing more than ever, and the simple parallel of her love blooming alongside the beautiful flowers in the field left her feeling light as a feather. No matter how harsh her mother had been recently, Betty had become nearly unshakable, solidified in her own happy little bubble.

 

After they exchanged ‘I love you’s’, it was as if a barrier had been broken. If Betty thought things had been heated before, well she wasn’t sure how she would describe it now. They hadn’t been able to meet outside of the school in a few weeks, Alice tightening her grip on Betty’s escapades as the battle for the alliances heated up, and Betty longed for some time alone with Jughead.

 

Veronica, being the best friend that she was, had come up with a plan to rectify that. The night of the Spring Formal, both Betty and Veronica’s parents agreed to a sleepover at the Lodge residence. Both Queen Hermione and King Hiram would be home after their scheduled meeting. If their past behavior was any indicator, it would be much later than promised. Betty and Veronica were willing to take the risk, as they had many times before and they invited the boys to come to the Lodge’s castle after the dance and stay with them both until morning. Veronica had more than enough bedrooms and Betty knew the value of uninterrupted alone time would far outweigh the potential consequences if they were discovered.

 

King FP and King Fred were both slated to be out of town with their queens that weekend anyway, placating the kingdoms that were still uneasy with the unsigned alliances and making it easy for the boys to spend the night elsewhere.

 

The town car pulled up to an upscale boutique in Lodgeville and Betty sighed deeply. She was not looking forward to trying on what would probably wind up being hundreds of dresses, but the idea of Jughead seeing her in that perfect one Veronica would surely find made the potentially painfully long trip well worth it.

 

-

 

Four hours later, both girls emerged from the store with dress bags in hand and numerous other bags full of accessories hanging off their arms.

 

Veronica settled on a deep purple gown. It had a generous slit in the front and a strapless sweetheart neckline. The dress had a slit that ran up clear to Veronica’s upper thigh and when she tried it on, Betty audibly gasped. It was perfect for her friend. She was surprised it wasn’t named the ‘Veronica Lodge’ by the way the silk clung to her body as if it was molded and sculpted straight to her curves.

 

Betty settled on a less risqué number, an emerald green wrap dress. Veronica said the color brought out her eyes and upon inspection in the mirror, she was hard-pressed to disagree. It also had a slit, though admittedly much lower on her thigh than her best friend’s. The neckline was also higher but still cut deep enough to show off the ample cleavage she managed to summon as a result of the backless push-up bra that was currently nestled in one of the accessory bags.

 

Betty and Jughead hadn’t found out anything else about the alliances, their eavesdropping providing no further information over the last few months. They both decided that the sensitive nature of the subject between their parents meant this exposé would likely never see the light of day, but that didn’t stop them from wanting to know the truth themselves.

 

Part of Betty knew it was possible for her mom not to sign the deal FP’s was lobbying for simply out of spite; but another part nagged at her, a persistent thought that there must be more to the story constantly lingered in the back of her mind.

 

Betty decided it was time to tell Veronica. She had just as much right, Betty reasoned, as a fellow heir to the throne, to know what was going on with their parents.

 

“Hey, V,” Betty began, steeling her nerve in preparation for the unknown outcome of the situation, “Did you know your dad owns a controlling share of New York’s only steel supplier.”

 

Veronica stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Betty. “Of course I knew that,” she answered cautiously, “Daddy bailed out the failing business a while back as a favor to the owner. He’s become a dear friend. Why do you ask?”

 

Betty could tell Veronica was already defensive and she nearly lost her nerve, but summoned every ounce of courage and forged on, “Did you know neither your parents nor my mother have signed this year’s proposed alliance agreement?”

 

Veronica furrowed her brow, “yes,” she said simply, not offering more information without another probing question.

 

“Do you know why they won’t sign it?” Veronica shifted uncomfortably, adjusting the bags on her arms as she seemed deep in thought. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” Betty asked, a hint of desperation seeping into her words.

 

”B,” she began, “Listen, there’s a lot that goes into running a principality. All I know is there’s something about the alliances this year that daddy doesn’t like. I’ve overheard him talking to my mom about how devastating it could be to the small businesses in New York. I wish I could be of more help, but that’s all I know.”

 

Betty appreciated Veronica's willingness to talk about what she knew, despite the guarded nature of the conversation. Her friend was being honest with her and she decided to return the favor.

 

“The alliances this year are proposing a wider perimeter for potential trade deals. Jughead and I think that maybe your parents won’t sign it because there’s another steel supplier that’s trying to bid for the kingdom. From the documents we’ve seen and the memos we’ve uncovered, it seems like they’re charging less than half the price the company your dad is involved with is.”

 

“Wait, so you’re telling me you think my parents are afraid of a little competition? You think that’s why they won’t sign the alliances? Did you not hear anything I _just_ said? Really, B?”

 

Betty knew she had overstepped. “It’s just a theory,” she whispered, “I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression, but we can’t figure out why else your parents wouldn’t sign it,” she offered weakly.

 

“I’ll see what I can find out,” Veronica offered after a beat of silence, “I mean I know you aren’t trying to accuse my parents and if it’s even a theory, I want to help you discredit it. If not for me, for the Lodge name. I just can’t honestly believe they would be that self-centered.”

 

Betty thought she detected a hint of uncertainty in her friend’s tone and chose to leave the matter as it were for now. “Thanks,” she said simply before dropping the subject altogether.

 

The girls resumed their short trek to the waiting car and piled in. The awkward conversation from before was weighing so heavily on them both that it felt as if a third person sat between them the entire ride back to the castle.

 

-

 

Betty swiped on one last coat of lip gloss and assessed herself in the mirror. Her dress hung perfectly on her figure and Betty couldn’t help but wonder what Jughead would think. Her hair was down in loose waves and her typical nearly fresh-faced look was replaced with a heavy smokey eye and countless layers of dark mascara to match, all thanks entirely to Veronica. Her eyes were darkened in a way that made the green of her irises stand out, especially in the emerald dress.

 

She assessed her appearance once more before turning her attention to Veronica. They were both at the Lodge’s castle, anxiously awaiting the town car that was set to take them to the Spring Formal. Thankfully, all of the heirs parents were otherwise occupied that night. Betty and Veronica took no chances though, fibbing about being each other’s dates and planning to meet both Archie and Jughead at the dance.

 

A part of Betty was disappointed that she wouldn’t get the full high school formal experience, complete with her handsome date showing up at the door and awkwardly pinning on a corsage while her doting parents captured the scene on film. Another part of her though felt oddly thrilled at the idea that Jughead would be waiting at the school for her. In her mind, she wanted to have a movie-worthy moment. A moment where she would step out of the car and he would be left breathless. She knew she would be as well. Betty had seen Jughead in a suit more times than she could count for various kingdom engagements, but tonight would be different. Jughead would be wearing a suit just for her, his tie coordinating to her dress and whatever was underneath for her eyes only.

 

With thoughts of the planned night after the dance swirling in her head, Betty briefly considered skipping the dance all together in favor or the anticipated alone time.

 

Every time Betty let her thoughts drift to Jughead over the last few weeks, she felt a warmth pool deep in her stomach. Something about the way the rebellious curl would fall into his eyes, and the way his eyes darkened when he looked at her; something about the way his hands felt on her curves, caressing the skin under her clothes, had been igniting embers deep inside of her for a while now. She knew, if they were left unattended for long, things were bound to progress between them, the mere embers threatening to transform to a full force blaze at any minute. And she wanted that. She wanted it worse than she ever thought possible.

 

Betty had zero experience with men. The full extent of her experience being what she and Jughead had been engaging in, heated makeouts and the growing sexual tension between them. The thought of crossing that line, for the first time in her life, excited Betty more than she could express.

 

When they arrived at the dance, Betty’s eyes scanned the parking lot for her beanie clad boyfriend before noticing him a few feet from the designated drop off point. Smithers pulled up to the plush red carpet that had been laid on the cement.

 

The girls exited the vehicle and two smiling boys stood before them, matching in plain black suits with pressed white shirts, the only difference being the color of the corsages in their nervous hands and the ties that coordinated to their dates’ dresses.

 

Betty barely noticed Archie and Veronica as they wrapped each other up in their arms within seconds, her eyes trained instead on the adorable sight of Jughead beaming and fiddling with the plastic box in his hands.

 

-

 

Jughead was mesmerized by the sight in front of him. Betty’s emerald green dress with its low cut front and thigh-high slit looked like it had been painted on her. The laughable integrity of the dress’ material only accentuating each and every curve and dip of her body. As she walked over to him, Jughead felt each ounce of air being pulled from his lungs. She was quite literally, breathtaking.

 

He had selected a pure white rose corsage for her and nearly dropped it attempting to take it out of the box. Betty laughed and held her wrist out dutifully, allowing him to slip it on without incident. The brush of his fingertips against her skin sent jolts of electricity through them both. The tension between them was palpable as they both drank each other in with their eyes.

 

They hadn’t been able to show their affections at school before, but after their declarations of love neither minded sitting a little closer, not so discreetly sharing touches, and even dancing together at least a few times the night of the Formal. They had talked about it ahead of time. Jughead knew it would be bad if their parents found out about their budding relationship, but he was hard-pressed to ignore the longing he felt to give her the high school dance experience she deserved. Maybe it was naïve to think they could be seen as friends who happened to go to the dance together, but the need to be together overshadowed any doubts.

 

She had told him it was a fantasy of hers, buried deep down with the desire for normalcy in her life, to go to a dance with a handsome date, and pretend the pressures of family names and royal expectations weren’t weighing her down, even if it was just for the night.

 

They had talked about it one night at Veronica’s, wrapped in each other’s arms, so close it felt as if their souls were touching. She bared sides of herself to him that broke his heart. No one ever deserved to feel so suffocated by pressure that they could barely function, especially not Betty.

 

As they had grown closer, Jughead had seen a side of her he never knew existed. Several sides, in fact. She was an enigma. She exuded grace, poise, perfection and an all-around sense of togetherness. Underneath, however, he knew the pressures boiled up to the point of needing physical release. The mere thought of that morning in the Blue and Gold office made his heart clench uncomfortably in his chest.

 

He glanced down at her finger and smiled when he saw her spinning the crown ring with the pad of her thumb. _His_ crown ring, he mentally noted. Even though they couldn’t be public with their affections, the idea that his possession sat on that particular finger, for all the world to see, ignited something possessive inside of him. It was as if he was marking his territory. _Mine_ , he thought, dragging his eyes upward from the ring on her finger, past the sight of her plunging neckline and delicate necklace, past her artificially darkened eyes and startlingly green irises, all the way up to the top of her blonde waves that laid so perfectly, he thought she could have stepped out of a magazine.

 

Jughead wasn’t accustomed to the primal need to claim her as his own and the primitive nature of it all was honestly slightly alarming to him, but as they walked into the school’s gymnasium and all eyes turned to her, the nagging feeling flared in his chest and he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulder and tucking her into his side.

 

As they looked around, it became apparent that no expense was spared on the dance based on the extravagant decorations. The school gym was more like a professional arena anyway, and with every inch of the vast room coated in decorations befitting the ‘Evening in Paris’ theme, it was as if they were transported to the ‘City of Love’ themselves, fully immersed in the experience.

 

Betty was still idly staring around at the decorations when Jughead tugged her hand and motioned to the hallway door. They told Veronica and Archie to grab a table and disappeared behind the door as quickly as they could.

 

The hallway wasn’t empty, littered with a few students here and there instead, and Jughead pulled Betty further down the hall and away from the gym until they found an open classroom around the corner. They slipped in the door and before it was even shut, he grasped her by the hips and pulled her to him, their bodies flush against each other without an inch of space between. His mouth covered hers in a bruising kiss. It was all teeth, tongues, and unbridled passion for a few moments, neither stopping for more than a second to breathe before resuming the intoxicating kiss.

 

Betty’s legs bumped against what she assumed was a desk and Jughead lifted her onto the surface with ease, never losing contact as he stepped between her legs and she spread them unconsciously. He was pressed against her aching core as their tongues tangled. Her hands were buried in his dark locks, tugging roughly on them and scraping her nails across his scalp. She was attempting to convey the profound need she felt for him, a need she wasn’t even sure how to form into words yet, opting instead to impart the idea purely through physicality.

 

She pulled back slightly, gasping for breath, attempting to quell the blaze that burned deep within her. They were still at school and neither had spent more than a few minutes in the gym. This particular activity, she thought, would have to wait.

 

“Hi,” she breathed.

 

He laughed lightly to himself and attempted to even out his labored breaths. “Hi,” he finally responded.

 

Her eyes were shining brightly against the darkened background and he leaned forward to press his lips lightly against hers, simply unable to resist in that instant.

 

“We should probably head back to the gym,” she whispered.

 

“I know,” he groaned in response before dutifully helping her off the desk.

 

She leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck. The word ‘ _later’_ floated over the shell of his ear and if he hadn’t felt the way her grasp tightened with the word, he might have thought he imagined it. The separated and he gripped her hand, tugging her out of the classroom. With the way she had been pressing against him, he knew if he didn’t create some distance between them soon, _later_ might turn into _now._

 

Archie and Veronica were grinding on each other on the dance floor while an upbeat, bass-heavy song thumped through the speakers. Betty and Jughead glanced in their direction before spotting the table with their belongings on it and settling into the seats.

 

“Do you want to dance?” Jughead asked hesitantly. He knew it was part of the whole experience and he had spent a few hours watching videos, attempting to figure out how one was supposed to dance at a high school formal, though he would never admit to the research process.

 

Betty quirked an eyebrow in his direction, “To _this_?”

 

“If you want,” he replied weakly. Truthfully, the extent of his research focused on slow songs that allowed him to hold her close. Ballads were going to be much closer to his comfort zone than the Top 40 song playing at the moment, but if it was what she wanted to dance to, Jughead found himself powerless to deny her.

 

Betty laughed and reached a hand forward under the tablecloth. He felt her palm rest on his knee hesitantly before squeezing just a little bit and relaxing against his suit pants again.

 

“No. I do not want to dance to this.”

 

“Oh, thank god,” he said quickly. His evident exasperation earning him another broad smile from his girlfriend.

 

“But,” she began, leaning forward and squeezing his knee again, “I do want to dance with you tonight. Just not to this.”

 

His eyes were fixed on her lips as they formed the words. As if on cue, the upbeat song ended and a slower one poured through the speakers, coating the room in a sort of peaceful trance.

 

Jughead stood up and held his hand out to Betty, “May I have this dance?”

 

“Yes,” she replied excitedly before eagerly lacing their fingers together and following his lead.

 

Once they reached the dance floor, Jughead slid his palms around her sides to the small of her back.  Her arms came up to rest on his shoulders, one pressed against his shoulder blade while the other toyed with a small curl at the base of his neck. Her touch was electrifying and he found himself involuntarily responding to feeling her hands on his skin again.

 

They danced in slow, lazy circles. Neither caring about the rhythm over the loudspeaker lost in their own cadence of pushes and pulls, their noses hovering inches apart. It took all of his self-control for Jughead not to lean forward and press his lips to hers in the middle of the dance floor. While it wasn’t ideal they were dancing together at all, caught in the apparently intimate embrace, it was a much worse idea for him to kiss her in public. School dances were a good enough excuse to dance together, but nothing would excuse a kiss on the lips in front of the entire student body.

 

The song ended and another fast one came on. They wandered off the dance floor and bumped into Archie and Veronica who were apparently ready for a breather from the cramped space.

 

“We’re ready to head out whenever you guys are,” Archie said through heavy breaths, apparently still labored from their earlier romp on the dance floor.

 

Jughead laughed. It was obvious why the two of them wanted to go somewhere away from prying eyes, despite the mere hour they had all been there. Jughead couldn’t blame his friend though, succumbing to his own tempting ideas of what freedoms the privacy would bring. He looked over at Betty and waited for her to make the final decision.

 

Betty didn’t have to think about the proposal for long. The earlier encounter in the classroom combined with the intoxicating feel of Jughead’s touch on the small of her back, burning through her dress made her choice crystal clear.

 

“We’re ready too.”

 

Jughead looked at her skeptically, clearly unbelieving she would be ready to wrap up her first experience at a true high school dance. What he didn’t realize, however, was the need spreading through each of her extremities, the feeling started in the pit of her stomach and branched outward in all directions, twisting its way around her organs and seeping through to the top layer of her skin. It was as if it was burning from the inside out and she only knew one way to quench the desire.

 

“Are you sure?” Jughead asked, grabbing her hand and turning to face her, idly twisting the ring around her finger, searching her eyes for any hesitation.

 

“I’ve already got what I came here for,” she replied simply, smiling up at him, “I had a handsome date and we shared a dance. It’s been pretty amazing so far but I think it’s time we get out of here.”

 

“Alright then, let’s go!” Veronica said, snapping them from their unintendedly personal moment.

 

“Wait!” Jughead exclaimed as they exited the school, “Don’t leave yet, I’ll be right back.”

 

Before Betty could ask what was going on, he disappeared through the school’s entrance and she was left standing there alone.

 

“What’s his deal?” Veronica asked Betty.

 

“I have no idea,” she shook her head and laughed, wondering the same thing.

 

He reemerged with a camera in hand and waved them all to the car.

 

“What’s that for Juggie?” Betty whispered as they all made their way to where Smithers was waiting.

 

“It’s a surprise,” he said with a wicked grin on his face.

 

-

 

When they pulled up to the castle, it appeared King Hiram and Queen Hermione were still gone. They breathed a collective sigh of relief before Archie, Veronica, and Betty scooted toward the door. Jughead reached out and tugged on her wrist gently, signaling for her to stay behind.

 

“Hey, Veronica… Do you mind if we borrow Smithers and the town car for a little bit?” Jughead asked.

 

Veronica looked at him skeptically with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous glint in her eye. “Sure,” she replied cautiously, “but you both need to be back here before midnight. I’ll leave the back door unlocked until then so you can sneak back in.”

 

“Thanks,” Jughead said, turning his attention to Betty once the door shut. She was staring at him quizzically as if waiting for an explanation. “It’s a surprise,” he said again, putting a stop to her questions before they could start.

 

Jughead whispered something in Smithers’ ear before resuming his position beside Betty. He swung an around over her shoulders and pulled her to his side. She had no idea what kind of surprise he had in mind late at night, at an undisclosed location, with his camera, but she was ready and willing to find out.

 

A short while later the car stopped and Betty peered out the darkly tinted windows. She couldn’t tell where they were, she only knew they had been driving for quite a while. Smithers came around and opened the door, letting them both out of the car.

 

Through the open door, Betty saw their destination. He had brought them back to the poppy field the kingdom’s fair was always held in. Unlike the last time she was there, it wasn’t covered in multicolored tents or packed with bodies. Instead, it was empty, almost hauntingly so, the ghost of past events left their marks in the dead spots on the grass. She could see where the tents had been the previous fall and the toll the traffic had taken on the once pristine lands. It was sad, really, she thought, an event that brought so much joy to so many people left the land it sat on in such a devastating manner, scarred from the past. There was something almost poetic about the juxtaposition of the fairgrounds and the untouched poppy fields that lie just beyond it. It was spring, so the poppies were in full bloom. A sea of color danced in the wind, mimicking waves as the air weaved between the stems of the flowers and moved them together in a fluid motion. She was so enraptured with the sight she must not have heard the car door shut or the car pulling away. Instead, the only thing that broke her from her reverie was the feeling of Jughead’s large, calloused palms gliding around her sides and settling on her waist. He pressed against her back and placed a soft kiss on the exposed skin at the base of her neck. She tilted her head to the side and he rested his chin on her shoulder, pressing his cheek against hers.

 

“Juggie,” she breathed, “it’s beautiful.”

 

“Mmmm… So are you,” he cooed, turning his head and placing another delicate kiss along her jawline. “Walk over to the fields for me.”

 

She twisted her neck to face him and was met with a pair of steely blue eyes, coated in a sheen of darkness that fanned the burning embers of need within her. “Okay,” she agreed without protest.

 

She stripped her heels off of her feet and tossed them in the grass before hiking up the side of her dress that didn’t bear a slit and stepping through the tall grass. She heard the click of his camera with every step and twisted her neck to look back at him. He snapped another picture and she giggled.

 

“Keep going,” he instructed.

 

When she finally reached the middle of the field, she looked back once more. The image of him, down on one knee, with a camera in his hands as he clicked away taking the photographs was enthralling to her. The way his long fingers dexterously gripped the camera, muscles tightening with each click, left her wondering what else they could skillfully do.

 

It was almost as if they were dancing again, though admittedly further apart this time. She would move or bend or twist her neck and he would adjust accordingly, finding the perfect angles to capture both her and the stunning scenery. The wind that crashed through the poppies lifted the dress and fanned the emerald green material across the blooms. It was if it the entire field was just for them, all of its staggering beauty aiding in the perfect setting for their romantic adventure.

 

After the last picture was taken, they both laid in the field, neither caring about the implications of the grass stains on their clothing or the excuses they would have to come up with to cover it. Lost instead, in the magic of the moment. Her head laid on his chest, her palm spread across the opposite side. His arms were wrapped around her, pulling her in, melding their bodies to each other.

 

“Why did you do all of this?” she whispered.

 

He didn’t answer for a long moment, instead, he reached over and plucked a poppy from the field in full bloom and brought it up to hold between them. With his free hand, he placed a finger under her chin and directed her eyes to his.

 

“You see this poppy, Betty?” She nodded silently, enraptured with his display. “Poppies have always reminded me of you. Do you remember when we were kids and your mother found us in this field?” She nodded again. "I knew even then, that you were both beautiful and complicated. Much like this poppy, you exude outer beauty, unmatched by anything I’ve ever seen. But you, too, have overcome a stigma. We all know this poppy could be processed and extracted to create potent poison. Many think the poppy itself is toxic but the reality of it is, we are the ones who make this beautiful flower toxic. We are the ones processing the toxic poison out of this fragile little thing. Much like the poppy, people can go through certain experiences in their life. Experiences that should harden them or hurt them. Experiences that would cause someone of lesser conviction to succumb to the circumstantial processes that should turn them to poison. Somehow, even through your own version of processing at home, you’ve come away unpoisoned, still poised and perfect, beautiful as ever. Betty, I know you have your scars,” he paused, reaching for the ring and running the pad of his forefinger over the golden metal, “but just for once, I wanted to show you exactly how I see you. How I’ve always seen you.”

 

Betty was left breathless by the confession, reeling from his poetic words, and overwhelmed with love. A tear trickled down her cheek. Few people had ever taken the time to get to know the girl underneath the mask she so carefully crafted. Even fewer liked what they had seen, much less loved her for it.

 

“I love you,” she said the only words that came to mind and hastily closed the distance between them. Their lips met in a soft kiss, full of warmth and promise.

 

The bright beams of the town car bathed the field in light, causing them to separate before making their way back to where it waited. They were still on a timer and needed to make sure they made it back to the Lodge’s castle before midnight.

 

The car ride was silent, neither knowing what exactly to say, soft touches and gentle embraces saying more than their preoccupied brains could conjure into words.

 

They entered the castle through the back and the door clicked shut softly behind them. Jughead twisted the lock and pulled the curtains shut. They tiptoed down the hallway and into the guest room, both trying to be simultaneously quick and quiet. They were attempting to minimize the amount of time they were exposed to the sounds of Archie and Veronica, clearly engaged in something rather physical, just a few doors down.

 

Once they were inside the room, with the door securely locked behind them, neither moved for a second, both unsure of how to continue.

 

Betty thought it would have been easy for them to resume their earlier encounter. They were finally alone for an extended period of time without prying eyes, but she felt rooted to her spot. Jughead closed the distance between them and brought his hand up to cup her jaw, sliding his fingers along her jawline before sinking them into her golden waves and pulling her forward to eliminate the final few inches separating them.

 

The heat from before paled in comparison to the feeling that was swelling deep within her at that moment. She clenched her thighs together in an attempt to quell the building pressure and opened her mouth to him. He licked and sucked every inch of her mouth, exploring it as if he had never been there before, claiming her with each flick of his tongue and nibble of his teeth. Betty was putty in his hands. She reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt, dragging her nails across the exposed skin of his chest before starting on the next button.

 

Jughead shrugged off his jacket and shirt once all of the buttons were undone and silently thanked whoever dubbed button up shirts to be appropriate dance attire. The ability to shed the layer from his shoulders without breaking contact with her mouth only intensified the urgency he felt deep in his bones.

 

He pulled her straps down and peeled back the emerald green dress, letting the thin material pool around her feet. Her dress was cut in a way that hadn’t allowed her to wear a traditional bra. A backless, strapless thing clung to her chest and she reached up to peel it away. With her chest uncovered, only a skimpy piece of white lace adorned the entire expanse of her body and Jughead felt his mouth go dry at the sight.

 

She made quick work of his pants and before long, they were left with a grand total of two pieces of clothing between them. The thin pieces of fabric doing little to hide their growing arousal.

 

She sat on the edge of the bed and scooted backward, holding his gaze as she wiggled her body up toward the pillows. He quickly followed, bracketing her hips within his knees and hovering over her scantily clad body. He trailed a finger up the curves of her side, nearly in a trance at the sight before him.

 

Jughead had no real experience with women other than Betty. She had been his first kiss and soon she would claim the title for first of everything. Jughead wanted so badly he couldn’t think straight and the sight of the pristine princess laying on the bed below him was nearly enough for him to lose it right then and there.

 

“Baby,” she whispered, drawing his attention to her. She buried her hands in his hair and tugged him down toward her. Their lips connected and Jughead lost all ability to form a coherent thought. He pressed his body into hers as they traded thorough, wet kisses. He wasn’t sure how to start or where to start really, but the pressure of his erection pressing into her already damp lace was almost too much.

 

He swiped his tongue along her bottom lip and when she opened, he felt his cock twitch against her core. She pressed her hips into his and wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him impossibly closer and causing his head to spin.

 

The gentle pushes of her heels into his back combined with the way she tilted her center upward with each thrust was an explosive combination for Jughead. He could feel the dampness spread through her lace and seep onto his boxers.

 

She reached down to shed his final barrier between them and he started to do the same. He snapped the lace on her hip on accident. He was trying to pull it down but apparently tugged too roughly on the thin material and Betty erupted in laughter, bringing her hands up to cover her face. She was covering the blush on her cheeks as if she were shy, despite their current state of undress and incredibly compromising position, and Jughead found it absolutely adorable.

 

“I should be the one embarrassed here, Betts, I just literally ripped your underwear off of you.”

 

Betty laughed before trapping her lower lip between her teeth and reaching up, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him down until their lips collided. Betty resumed her earlier pressure, his arousal heightened even more by the lack of barriers between their most sensitive areas. He knew he was already past the point of no return but he wanted to be sure Betty was ready for this.

 

“Betts,” he spoke softly, “are you sure? I mean... about all of this? Because we really don’t-”

 

She cut him off with another bruising kiss and angled her hips upward, signaling her surety.

 

“Wait, wait,” she said breathlessly before twisting her body to retrieve a foil package from the nightstand. She ripped it open and looked at him sheepishly, “I don’t really know how to-”

 

It was Jughead’s turn to cut her off with a kiss, this one considerably less intense. Jughead kissed her softly, trying to ease her evident nerves, “I’ve got it,” he assured.

 

Once he rolled it on, he lined up to her core again, experimentally dragging the tip of his cock along her slick folds. “Jesus, baby…” he said in awe, “every inch of you is beautiful.”

 

He knew they were doing this all wrong according to status quo, there were bases to hit before reaching the home run but her evident impatience made any doubts he had slip away in an instant. She wanted this just as much as he did and he couldn’t deny the insatiable feeling any longer.

 

Betty raised her hips again, angling them in a way that allowed him to ease into her. Despite their earlier hiccups and less than picture perfect lead up, as he slid into her, nothing else had ever felt so right.

 

It wasn’t fireworks and multiple orgasms, it wasn’t mind-blowing and record-breaking, but their first time was sweet and simple, lasting only a few short life altering minutes.

 

When they both finished, him entirely thanks to her and her thanks to some help with his fingers, a nifty trick he picked up during the research process, they laid in bed, limbs tangled and breaths synced in perfect rhythm. They talked early into the morning hours, eventually succumbing to their own heavy lids just before sunrise.

  


Betty woke the next morning with tendrils of sunlight peeking through the ornate curtains in Veronica’s guest room. She was cuddled up to Jughead, one leg thrown over his hip and her arms wrapped around his sturdy figure. Her cheek pressed into his chest and she felt a smile creep onto them as the memory of the night before played like a scene from a movie behind her eyelids. They had shed their innocence along with their clothes and come together in a way that had quite literally blown her mind. She relished in the memory for only a moment before her alarm went off, signaling the need for both Archie and Jughead to make a swift exit from the castle before they were seen.

 

-

 

Betty had left shortly after the boys, recounting the night before with her best friend and giddily giggling over the loss of her innocence.

 

Betty tucked away the golden crown in her pocket as Smithers drove up her driveway. She went straight to her room, worried she may very well still be visibly glowing from the night before. Thankfully, she had avoided Queen Alice’s questioning but she knew that wouldn’t last long. She unpacked, took a shower, and scrubbed herself clean, hoping to somehow wash away a layer of glow from her skin to dim her visible happiness before her mother’s prying eyes looked her over.

 

That evening, Betty still hadn’t seen the Queen by the time she finished her self-prepared dinner. She wandered over toward her mother’s office and distinctly heard her mother’s raised voice. She pressed her ear against the door and listened intently. It appeared her mother was discussing the alliances over the phone. She only caught half of the conversation but it was abundantly clear the Lodges were on the other line and they were blatantly questioning her loyalty. Queen Alice assured them multiple times she would not sign the proposal and when the phone audibly slammed down on the headset, she jumped and fled to the safety of her room.

 

She wanted to text Jughead, she needed to tell him about the conversation she had just heard, but her mother’s overbearing nature meant each and every text or call was closely monitored.

 

It was already Sunday night and when her head hit the pillow a short while later, she thought she’d just wake up early and meet him in the Blue and Gold office the next morning.

  


*

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, was this your favorite chapter, too?
> 
> What was your favorite part?
> 
> Only one more chapter to go!
> 
> Please leave me a comment with your thoughts, feedback is always always always appreciated <3
> 
> Thank you again for reading!


	5. 4th Quarter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I cannot thank @jandjsalmon enough for everything she has done for this fic. Thanks to all of your help with brainstorming, outlining, betaing and just being all around so, so supportive during this entire process. I don’t think I’ve ever written anything I was more proud of and I attribute that entirely to you & your invaluable input. Thank you <3
> 
> It has been a journey to get here but I want to thank everyone who has supported me and this story during the process. Honorable mentions: @peaceblessingspeyton @lazydaizies@noorakardemmomesaetre@elegantmoonchild @riverdaddy00@theheavycrown @indiebughead @daisy-chain-gardens @a92vm @anasteeles
> 
> based on a prompt by @jandjsalmon and @bugheadem

*

 

The next morning when she wandered into the school newspaper office, she was disappointed by the distinct lack of her beanie-wearing boyfriend. He normally got there before her and she wasn’t sure why today was any different. Betty waited and waited until the bell for their first class finally rang. She was confused, this had become their ritual, every chance they got Betty and Jughead wound up behind the locked door, laying on the couch, immersed in each other.  _ Why didn’t he show up? _ She sought out Veronica and Archie before class, locating them at their usual perch by her locker and asked if either of them had heard from Jughead. Neither had, causing her own unease to intensify.

 

By lunchtime, Betty’s earlier gnawing worry had turned into a full force consumption of every aspect of her mind. _ Where was he? What happened? He never missed school. _

 

Betty couldn’t eat, her nerves overpowered her appetite and she decided she  _ needed  _ to do something, anything before she went crazy with worry. She found Archie right outside of the cafeteria and asked him to call Jughead. If she hadn’t been so scared of what he mother would do, she might have done it herself but Archie seemed more than willing to aid and surprisingly, a bit concerned himself. Archie called four times - back to back - to no avail. The worrisome look on his face deepened with each unanswered ring.

 

Everything about that day seemed strange, as if something menacing hung thick in the air, and she wanted desperately to know what it was. It wasn’t like Jughead not to answer Archie. It wasn’t like him to miss school either, no matter what his ‘devil may care’ attitude portrayed, Jughead was actually an exemplary student with an impressive attendance record.

 

When the last bell rang, Jughead was still nowhere to be found and Archie had yet to receive a call or text back. Betty had to go home, her driver was waiting for her, but Archie promised to stop by the Jones’ castle and pass whatever information he found out onto Veronica who would call her later with the details. The plan seemed simple enough, but Archie’s evident unease made her even more nervous about where Jughead was and why he had been radio silent all day.

 

The next few hours passed agonizingly slow, each minute felt like twice that and Betty wished she could just go see him. The idea of just showing up at the Jones’ castle became more and more appealing as the hours ticked by without any contact. Betty was more afraid than ever for what her friend might have to say when she finally did call.

 

Her phone rang a little after 6 with Veronica’s name and picture flashing on the screen. Betty was dreading what Veronica might say. She knew her voice would give her away, sure it sounded strained but she had been on edge for hours and no amount of forced cheer could mask the apprehensive tone. Betty nearly dropped her phone as her shaky hands drug the green button across the screen to answer it.

 

“Hello,” Betty greeted weakly.

 

“Hi B. Are you sitting down?”

 

“Yes.” Betty's heartbeat was thumping so loud, she was sure Veronica could hear it. Whatever her best friend was about to say, if her tone of voice was any indication, wasn’t good.

 

“B, Jughead's dad is taking him out of Sweetwater Prep. King FP is going to hire a tutor to homeschool him for the rest of the year. ”

 

“What?! Why?!” she gasped, tears spilling down her cheeks. The idea of losing the person she had become closest to, the first person she truly loved, wracked Betty’s body with sobs.

 

“After the dance, someone spray painted ‘serpent territory’ on King James Cooper’s statue just over the border between the North and the South. Surveillance video shows someone dressed in all black with a hoodie and a Sherpa jacket.” Veronica paused, letting the information sink in. “B, Archie said it really looked like it could have been Jughead in that video and you guys  _ were  _ gone for a little while.”

 

“V, you know it wasn’t him,” Betty said vehemently.

 

“I know. I know. I didn’t think it was. But B,” she paused again, lowering her voice, “He confessed.”

 

Those last two words sent Betty into a full-on tailspin, she gasped, feeling a tightness in her chest she couldn’t deny.

 

“Betty, Betty… please calm down. We know it wasn’t him. He was with you. All night. Archie tried to talk to him, to tell him he could use us all as witnesses but… he said no, Betty. He refused to drag us into this… especially you.”

 

“Oh my god,” Betty barely choked out between sobs. “That’s not his choice to make. He-”

 

Veronica cut her off with a somber tone. “He’s already done it Betty… he confessed to his dad earlier. Your mom was there... he told Archie that he did it to protect you, B. If he told them he was with us...” she paused again, “none of us know how your mom would have reacted… and he said- he said it wasn’t worth it.”

 

Betty didn’t say anything, her sobs echoing through the silent line as her thoughts went into overdrive.

 

After a long period of silence, save for Betty’s continuous sniffles and sobs, Veronica finally spoke again, gently, “We’ll figure this out. You, me, Archie, we’ll all figure this out… for Jughead. I’m so sorry, Betty. Do you want me to come over?”

 

Betty’s cheeks were on fire from the white-hot tears that painted her porcelain skin and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath, short, stunted gasps the only thing she was capable of.

 

Jughead was taking the fall for something he didn’t do just to avoid what Queen Alice may do to Betty if she found out the truth. Betty obviously knew he didn’t do it. They were in the poppy fields and then back at Veronica’s, she stayed wrapped in his arms all night and there was no way he could have been involved. She couldn’t think of a single reason why someone would possibly frame Jughead for the vandalism.  _ What did they have to gain if he was in trouble?  Was it meant to get him kicked out of school? Or was it meant to incite problems between the North and South? Why did it have to be him? _

 

She still hadn’t answered Veronica, adrift in the tumultuous sea of her own thoughts and questions. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but the idea of staying at her house while her world was falling apart didn’t sit well with Betty. She knew exactly where she needed to go, and as much as she loved Veronica, it wasn’t the Lodge’s castle.

 

“No, V. Thank you. I appreciate your concern and I love you but I’ll be fine,” she said quietly, barely above a whisper.

 

“Betty…” Veronica said, her voice thick with concern.

 

“I’ll be fine,” she repeated, a little more firmly than she meant to before feeling guilty for snapping at her best friend. Veronica only wanted to help, she knew that, but she also knew who she needed right then and the raven-haired princess just wasn’t it. “Really, V. Thank you and all but I think I’m just going to lay down, this has been a bit too much to handle. I’ll call you later.”

 

“If you’re sure, then okay, but if you don’t call me tonight I’m coming by whether you want me to or not,” she conceded.

 

“Thanks, V.”

 

They hung up the phone and Betty sat still for a minute, figuring out what she was going to do. Her mother was out running ‘errands’ and Betty just needed to get away.

 

She found her driver and asked him to take her to the Jones’ castle. He seemed hesitant at first but once Betty brought up the numerous times he had been late picking her up and she hadn’t said anything, he finally gave in.

 

When the town car pulled up around the back of the mansion, hoping to remain unseen, Betty hopped out and signed for her escort to leave. She entered through a side gate and peeked in the living room window, hoping her stealthy entrance hadn’t caught anyone’s attention yet. It looked empty inside and she sighed, she had never been to the Jones’ castle and she had no idea where Jughead’s room was. Betty moved to another window, cupping her hand over her eyes and peered into another empty room. She was losing hope that Jughead was inside at all despite the castle’s sprawling outlay when she heard a whistle from above. Jughead’s head was sticking out the window above her and she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, unable to contain her smile despite her tear stained cheeks.

 

Jughead opened his window higher and motioned to a ladder that was laying by the gardener’s shed. Betty grabbed it and propped it against the window, scaling the footholds skillfully. As soon as she was inside the window, he wrapped her up in his arms.

 

“Betts, I’m supposed to be Romeo remember?” he joked, “Shouldn’t I be the one climbing through your window?”

 

“Gender roles are overrated,” she said, crushing her face into his soft flannel shirt. “I missed you,” she whispered, loosening her grip slightly.

 

“I missed you too, baby,” he said with a kiss to the top of her head. “Not that I mind you being here – at all – but how did you get out of your tower?”

 

“My mom wasn’t home so I asked my driver to bring me here and I just left.” Jughead looked at her with a raised eyebrow before she acquiesced, “Okay fine, I didn’t just  _ ask _ my driver. I may have blackmailed him a little bit.”

 

“Oh yeah? You blackmailed your driver into bringing you here? Maybe I’ve rubbed off on you yet Princess,” he teased.

 

“Juggie,” Betty said seriously, holding his gaze, “I heard about what happened-“

 

“I didn’t do it, Betty. You have to believe me,” he pled, interrupting her. Betty felt her heart wrench uncomfortably in her chest.

 

“Of course, I was with you, and I know who you are,” she said softly, hoping to quell any anxiety he may have been feeling. Betty brought her hands up to cup his face, angling it down to hold his gaze. “We’ll fix this Juggie. We  _ have _ to fix this. I don’t know how to be without you anymore.”

 

Jughead encircled her waist with his arms, linking his fingers together behind her back and pulling her closer. “I know, baby. Me either.”

 

His features softened and she leaned up on her tiptoes, pulling him down until their lips met in the middle. The soft pressure of his lips on hers felt like a relief. Betty could feel the stress and anxiety from the last few days melt away with each second that ticked by. The feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her and his lips malleable under hers calmed her in a way nothing else ever had.

 

They separated and Betty leaned her forehead against his as her hands slid around his neck, one resting on his shoulder, the other on the nape of his neck. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. “What are we going to do, Juggie?”

 

“I don’t know yet, Betts.”

 

“I love you, Jug,” she whispered into his chest.

 

“I love you too, Betty.”

 

They stood in silence, wrapped in each other’s arms, lost in the feeling of being near each other again, both unsure how long it would be until they could do this again. The muffled sound of shouting somewhere in the distance broke them from their haze.

 

Betty and Jughead looked at each other skeptically before venturing toward the door. Jughead threaded his fingers through hers and lightly tugged her behind him as they made their way down the hall toward the source of the noise.

 

It was coming from the other side of the castle and with each step, it grew louder. It was clear FP was shouting at someone, the other voice feminine but still too muffled to identify.

 

Once they were down the hall that held the door in question, Betty froze. She instantly recognized her mother’s shrill voice and her mind began to race. Queen Alice wasn’t running errands, she came to the Jones’ castle to berate FP about Jughead from the sounds of it. Jughead appeared to come to the same conclusion around the same time, turning to face her and squeezing her hand. He fingered the ring and toyed with it a little, deciding what to say next.

 

“We don’t have to go down there, Betts.”

 

“Yeah, Jug. We do,” she said firmly, resuming their stealthy walk.

 

By the time they were in front of the door, they could hear the conversation clearly.

 

“YOU’RE BEING FUCKING STUBBORN, ALI!” FP’s voice boomed heartily through the solid wood door. “Jughead would never do that, I don’t care what he said. He lied. He’s a decent kid, and you’re just using this as another excuse not to sign the damn alliances.”

 

“If he’s anything like you FP, I’d be a fool to think he was even halfway decent.”

 

Betty looked over at Jughead, his features had fallen at some point during the conversation to the sullen place they sat now. She brought a hand up to his jaw and tilted her head to the side when their eyes met. “We are not our parents, Juggie,” she whispered.

 

He nodded slightly and her hand fell. She threaded their fingers together and give his hand a small squeeze of reassurance before they turned back to the door.

 

“You know that’s a lie, Ali,” FP tone was low, wounded almost at the remark. “I loved you, and you loved me once, too. I must have been at least halfway decent.”

 

“Don’t even start. You broke my goddamn heart. You cheated on me before our wedding. How could anyone who considers themselves a good person do something so horrible?” she questioned, not even waiting for a response before continuing through what sounded like muffled cries. “Everyone always told me I was stupid to love you. Everyone said you had a wandering eye, that you’d never settle down. I was ridiculous really, I should have listened. But when I came to your house that night after that strange call, what I saw confirmed all of my worst fears. I’m not here to dwell on the past or change ancient history. All I’m here to do is let you know that alliance agreement is dead in the water and I will NOT let my daughter make the same mistakes I did. Getting involved with a Jones ruined my life and I won’t let it ruin hers too.”

 

The sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor triggered their quick escape. Jughead pulled Betty down the hall and into a bathroom a few doors down. They shuffled behind the door, unable to close it in fear of their parents hearing the click of the handle.

 

“Ali, WAIT!” they heard FP shout, apparently now in the hall in pursuit of the dwindling sound of heels on hardwood. “I never cheated on you. I didn’t even fucking know her. I don’t know why she was there, she just showed up, said Hal sent her to deliver a message and stripped her clothes off. She was on me and kissing me before I could respond and then all I saw was your hair as the door shut behind you.”

 

“I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!” they heard, punctuated by the sound of a single heel clicking hard on the floor. “YOU COULD HAVE PUSHED HER OFF! YOU COULD HAVE COME AFTER ME! YOU COULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING FP, ANYTHING AT ALL, BUT YOU DIDN’T!” Their words were still clear, apparently not making it very far down the hall before resuming their verbal battle.

 

“YOU DIDN’T WANT ME TO!”

 

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? Of course, I wanted you to,” her mother’s voice had lost the sharp edge just slightly, apparently coming down from the pinnacle of anger she was at only moments before, softened by FP’s own hurt evident in his voice. “You changed me. Do you think I like who I am now? Do you think this is what I always dreamed of? A title of Queen Regent only for a few more months, happiness a distant memory, and my own daughter hating me? I’m not here for that FP, whatever happened, happened. It doesn’t matter anymore. My decision stands. Jughead stays away from Betty and you need to stay away from me. Don’t follow me,” Alice said with a sense of finality before her heels resumed their march down the hall.

 

The sound of boots following never did come. Instead, almost out of earshot, they both heard FP moments after the click-clack silenced. “That’s what you said last time, Ali.”

 

Betty and Jughead stared at one another, both in disbelief. It all made sense now. Alice wouldn’t sign the alliances because she really was still bitter about the way things ended with FP. She was clearly still hurt, Betty already knew that from their talk in her bedroom weeks prior. What Betty hadn’t expected, however, was the convoluted mess that lead to their separation in the first place and spurred on the now decades-long hatred between her family and Jughead’s. The rift between their parents didn’t appear to be mendable and Betty’s heart wrenched uncomfortably in her chest.

 

As a royal, it wasn’t like she could run away from her duty. Neither could Jughead. The impossibility of them actually having a chance at a real relationship out in the open for any length of time shattered her heart into a million pieces. Jughead must have seen the change in her demeanor. He promptly wrapped her limp body in his arms and squeezed her tightly as she began to weep. Betty couldn’t stop the barrage of tears that flowed from her. She didn’t know how long he held her as she cried but by the time her breathing had evened out, they had sunk to the ground, her crumpled form securely in his lap and her hands clinging to him for dear life.

 

“We are not our parents, Betty,” he said, finally breaking the silence, repeating her earlier sentiment back to her with conviction.

 

“I love you,” she breathed hurriedly before finding solace in the feel of his warm lips pressed against hers.

 

“I love you, too,” he responded between long, thorough kisses. In only a few short weeks, they had both become well versed in the calming effect they had on each other.

 

-

 

Betty snuck back into her house several hours later. Her and Jughead talked over ways to prove his innocence. Well, really, she verbally vomited a laundry list of physical pieces of evidence they had of their night together. They both had grass-stained clothes, there were hundreds of pictures of them in the poppy fields during the hours in question, and she knew for a fact the Lodge’s castle had his presence on the security footage between their arrival and when they came back and stayed in for the remainder of the night. Betty had argued she could bring the things to her mother or the authorities. She said they could exonerate him but Jughead insisted she shouldn’t rock the boat.

 

_ “Staying home for one quarter of my senior year isn’t the worst thing that could happen. Sure we won’t get to see each other and that’s the worst part of all of this, but I’ll still be here, Betty. I’ll always be here, and you have my ring. We can figure out a way to communicate without it being traceable. If not, we’ll be eighteen in a few weeks and they won’t be able to control us any longer. We can figure this out.” _

 

The last five words had been echoing in Betty’s head the entire ride home and continued to play on a loop as she opened her bedroom door.

 

Her mother sat atop her duvet cover, clearly still distraught, lost in her own world of obliviousness as she idly toyed with a stuffed animal on Betty’s bed. It was a small hand stitched doll her father had given her on her fifth birthday, shortly before he was diagnosed. Betty had been going back and forth with her reaction to the information earlier, the most painful sting being her inability to even be in Jughead’s presence in the near future but a close second being that her dad may not have been the model citizen she always pictured in her mind. He was her hero when she was younger and the façade she had created in her own mind of his memory shattered with FP’s confession. Somehow, he had set up her mother’s fiancée to drive them apart. Betty already knew her mother and father had gotten together shortly after FP and Alice’s separation, her journal chronicled the time and the insight into her mother’s aching heart made the situation so much worse. Her dad had caused the hurt to begin with and his now thinly veiled attempts to mend her mother’s still broken heart were cheapened by the revelation.

 

“Mom,” Betty said, moving into the room to sit next to Alice, “I know everything.” Alice looked at her questioningly, oversized tears still hanging in her eyelashes. “I heard you at the Jones’, I’ve read your journal, and Jughead and I have been researching the alliances for the Blue and Gold.”

 

Alice didn’t immediately scold her, which Betty took as a good sign. In truth, her mother simply looked broken, finally succumbing to the crushing pressure of her position teetering between principalities and wading in old wounds for far too long.

 

“I’m not going to yell at you Betty,” her mother began, wrapping her hand around her daughter’s, “I see you still wear his ring. If you heard me at FP’s that means you were there, so I know you and Jughead are still seeing each other. You’re going to be eighteen shortly and I can’t control you after that but Betty, you’re not there yet and as long as you live under my roof, I’m still not going to let you see him.”

 

Betty retracted her hand from her mother’s, reeling from the entire situation. “Really mother? Even after all you know now, you still think it was Jughead.”

 

“Betty, all I know now is that FP doesn’t think his hoodlum son vandalized the statue but I do. The Jones’ can’t be trusted, Jughead included.”

 

“That’s a lie and you know it. You know your entire perception of the heartbreak I read about in your journal is a lie. You know FP still loved you! You know you told him not to follow you so he didn’t and guess what else you now know? You know  _ my  _ dad set it all up, not FP. Does that really seem like someone who’s character is so fractured it would inevitably seep through into his own son?”

 

“He vandalized your ancestor’s statue in a public place, he’s undercutting the good name of North Riverdale and these age-old rifts between the North and South didn’t start with FP and I. You can’t see him and I just need you to trust me that it’s in your best interest.”

 

Betty shot up from the bed and sought out her laundry basket. She rifled through it, pulling out her dress from the spring formal only a few days before, complete with grass stains and shoved it in her mother’s hands. “Jughead didn’t vandalize the statue the other night. I was with him. He took me to the fairgrounds and we took pictures in the poppies. There’s no way he could have done it.”

 

“Betty, just because you were together after the dance doesn’t mean he couldn’t have done it. It’s sweet you’re so naïve, honey, but it happened in the early morning and if you have an alibi for that time, while you were supposedly under the Lodge’s watchful eye, you will be in far more trouble that you’ve already gotten yourself into with this little stunt,” Alice’s tone was sharp, final, as if with her last word she severed the only hope Betty had of rectifying the situation. “You are to stay in here, in your room until tomorrow morning when you leave for school. Every single day for the rest of the school year you are to leave ten minutes before school starts and come home within fifteen minutes of the last bell. If you step even a toe out of line, I will not hesitate to homeschool you for the remaining weeks. My decision is final,” Alice's tone softened before continuing, “I’m just trying to look out for you Betty, I wish you would believe me.”

 

With that, Alice dropped the dress to the floor and exited the room, slamming the door on her way out without even looking at the fractured image of her daughter, nails securely in her palms, blood dripping down her hands methodically and coating the golden crown that had been her saving grace for quite some time now. Even the ring wasn’t enough to control her spiraling. Betty’s nails sunk deeper and deeper as she sobbed.  _ It was only a few more months _ , she told herself, the sentiment feeling more hollow than it should have.  _ Only a few more months under her roof and Betty would be free. Only a few more months. _

 

Time was irrelevant as Betty found herself curled up into a ball, laying in blood-stained sheets with a tear-soaked pillow. Her phone chimed and she intentionally ignored it, not ready to speak to anyone at that moment, still lost in a state of stupor and unable to collect her thoughts.

 

The phone rang twice more before Betty reached over to retrieve it. Initially, she planned to silence it but the sight of Veronica’s face filling the screen changed her mind. She drug her knuckle across the answer button, trying not to smear the blood she was finally registering across the shiny surface.

 

“V,” she sniffled, “I tried to tell her he couldn’t have done it. I showed her the grass stains on my dress and – and – and -,” Betty stuttered, attempting to catch her breath.

 

“B, B, listen to me… Breath, Betty,” Veronica’s voice was soothing, patient, and Betty took a few moments to compose herself before continuing.

 

“I told her he took me to the poppy fields. I told her he couldn’t have done it because we were together but she said it happened early in the morning and I froze. I didn’t even tell her he was with me all night. I was so distraught she already forbid me from seeing him and I didn’t even tell her he was with me. Why am I so selfish? I cared more about not getting in trouble than clearing his name. She forbid me from seeing him, V.”

 

“Well, if we can’t use you as an alibi then we just need to find out who really did it,” Veronica said matter of factly as if it was an easy answer to the convoluted problem.

 

“It’s not that simple, V.”

 

“Actually, Betty it is. That’s why I was calling you earlier. I went through my dad’s office and I found some papers I wanted to bring over. I know a lot more about the alliances and I know why he’s been pulling the strings in the war of wills between the principalities. Can I come over? I’d rather show you in person.”

 

Betty knew that wasn’t an option, her mother told her not to leave her room until the following morning and she knew Queen Alice was on high alert. Truth be told, Betty didn’t really want anyone to see anyone in her current state anyway, not even her best friend, embarrassed by her surely disheveled appearance. “Not tonight, V. I’m grounded until forever and I’ve already gotten into enough trouble today.”

 

“Fine then, put me on speaker and grab a notepad, I’ve got a tale to tell you and I want you to be prepared. I want this story to run in the Blue and Gold, Betty, so pay close attention.”

 

“Okay, hold on,” Betty’s interest was piqued as she scrambled off of her bed and washed her hands quickly in the bathroom. She retrieved her phone and sat it on her desk, opening up a new notebook and preparing to record the information. “Alright, I’m ready V. Start from the beginning.”

 

Veronica told Betty about her suspicious feeling after Betty’s accusation earlier in the school year. She had always known King Hiram purchased lands under the guise of ‘assisting’ those enduring financial hardships. What she hadn’t known before was that he only purchased companies that were sole suppliers for the kingdoms. He had a portfolio full of companies he had acquired controlling interest in over the years and each of the commodities they specialized in had been trending upward in price, suffocating the principalities budgets and stretching the kingdom’s dollars thinner and thinner before they made their way into King Hiram’s pockets.

 

After clearing up the muddled waters surrounding the alliance, Veronica’s voice dropped an octave before continuing. She then told Betty that she found Jughead’s jacket in his study, apparently, the one that was left a few weeks prior at the mansion and Jughead had chalked up to bad luck and an inability to remember where he left things. Veronica said the sleeves had traces of red paint. The final nail in the coffin of the possibility of Veronica’s father being a good person was the invoices Veronica told her about that the end. There were cash receipts for payments to someone the day after the dance. An unusually large sum for a cash payment and no clear tie to what it was for.

 

“One more thing, Betty,” Veronica said slowly, “I’m going to take a picture of this and send it to you. It needs to be published along with the receipt for the payment and a picture of the jacket in his study.”

 

Betty waited patiently as three pictures popped up into her message feed. The first was clearly Jughead’s light denim Sherpa jacket, complete with red spray paint smears around the cuff, folded neatly in a desk drawer. The second was the receipt for what appeared to be $10,000 and the third seemed to be some sort of family tree. It had the four royal families over the years, the branches reaching further and further to the current generation of heirs. Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica’s names were all on the outermost branches but drawn in between their perches were lines. The line between Betty and Jughead had a thick “X” across it and there was another thick line situated between Veronica and Archie’s name. There was one more strange thing about the tree, both Greendale and Lodgeville were circled together while North and South Riverdale sat in their own circles.

 

Veronica’s voice over the speakerphone interrupted Betty’s train of thought, “He wants Lodgeville and Greendale to merge. He wants to take over the Kingdom, Betty. My dad wants us to control all of the principalities.”

 

Betty didn’t speak again for a long moment, processing the metric ton of information that was just thrown at her. “I’m sorry Veronica,” she finally said, not in a rehearsed way or as a robotic response. Instead, truly remorseful her closest friend had also made some heavy revelations about her own family.

 

“It’s not your fault Betty, but we need to clear Jughead’s name. Whatever is going on between our parents,  _ we  _ have the power to stop it, and it’s our royal duty to protect the kingdom from crooked leadership, even if it happens to be our own family who’s crooked. How long will it take you to write up an article about it?”

 

“I can have it ready in the morning. Meet me at the Blue and Gold just before the bell,” Betty said, a resolve washing over her and hope blooming in her chest as she set the phone down. They had concrete evidence that Jughead was innocent and Betty couldn’t start her laptop up fast enough.

 

She worked well into the night, keeping her lights off, illuminated only by the soft glow of her laptop screen. She had remotely sent the story to the printer in the Blue and Gold office and fell asleep with the image of tomorrow’s front page dancing behind her eyelids. Despite her raw palms and the now discarded sheets, stained with the evidence of her hard day, the night had brought some consolation, and Betty breathed a deep sigh of relief as she drifted off to sleep.

 

-

 

Veronica was already in the Blue and Gold office when Betty entered the next morning. She held up the day’s print with a triumphant smile on her face. “Great work, B. You’re a genius.”

 

“We did it. Not me, both of us. Thank you, V. Now let’s go hand these out.”

 

They wandered the halls, setting off in opposite directions, tossing copies of the thinly printed issue up in the air to scatter across the floors, sticking some in the lockers and one in each classroom’s door. Archie helped Veronica and before long the bell rang. Betty turned around and assessed the covered hallways with a sense of relief. Despite the triumphant feel of the lies printed and scattered around the hallway, Betty knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

 

No one had heard from Jughead despite their attempts and she clutched one last copy in her hand before exiting the school and striding over to the back fence. She knew for a fact it was unmonitored and shuffled through the opening before breaking out into a stride. Each step took her further away from the school grounds and closer to the Jones’ castle. About half an hour later she came to a stop, standing in front of the side gate again and entered the Jones’ yard. She found the ladder from the previous day still securely on his window and shuffled up it after tucking the article into her pocket. As soon as her knuckles rapped on the window, the curtains pulled back and Jughead stood there beaming.

 

“To what do I owe this pleasure Juliet?” he teased, moving aside as she climbed through the window.

 

Betty pulled the article out of her pocket and pushed it into his hands. “We did it. Veronica and I proved your innocence.” Betty’s phone chimed as soon as her hands were empty and she retrieved it, fearful her mother had already been alerted of her absence.

 

Instead, a notification from her school email sat there. It was an email blast sent from Veronica Lodge to the entire population of Sweetwater Prep. Betty flipped the phone around to show Jughead before pressing play as they both watched.

 

It was a video of Veronica reading Betty’s article and showing the visual proof of Jughead’s innocence to everyone who attended the prestigious prep school. As the video played the hit count grew. Before long it was nearly double the student population and as Veronica’s words poured out of her speaker, the knowledge that the entire kingdom would see this before long had her finally feeling hopeful.

 

Betty knew the article addressed many issues, the alliances, the crooked leadership of the Lodge family, and the extents Hiram went to as a result of his greed and power-hungry nature. When Veronica read the last word, she set the paper down and looked directly into the camera. “This is my father. This is not me. I will never do this to my citizens. I promise, as the future leader of Lodgeville, I will bring him to justice. No one is immune to the laws, not even the King.”

 

Veronica’s video stopped then, the hit count still climbing and neither Betty nor Jughead said a word. Everything they had been researching was laid out in the article and the video was circulating the information like wildfire.

 

“You did it,” Jughead said finally, affection laced through his words as his hands came to rest on her hips.

 

Betty reached up and threaded her fingers together behind the back of his neck. “No, we did it, Juggie. All of us. None of us are our parents and we’ll all be eighteen soon enough. We’ll change things. Our generation will end the petty grudges and we’ll all work together. We will do better. We  _ have _ to do better.”

 

He leaned down swiftly, capturing her lips with his, pouring his appreciation and love into the simple gesture.

 

-

 

Betty returned to school before the next bell rang. As tempting as the idea of being alone with Jughead in his castle really was, the mere thought of Alice’s reaction was enough to dissuade the little devil on her shoulder.

 

All throughout the day, Betty heard whispers about the royal families, whispers about the ‘crooked’ Hiram Lodge and his ‘amazing’ daughter Veronica. Betty had grown fond of Veronica’s need to be ‘extra’ all the time and was actually grateful for the public platform her best friend used in her boyfriend’s defense.

 

-

 

The weeks that passed between the public upheaval surrounding the Lodge’s criminal activity were filled with apologies. FP and Alice still weren’t on the best terms, but they could stand to be in the same room together finally and that was enough for Jughead and Betty.

 

The alliances had been signed within days of the viral video. Queen Alice finally bent to the will of FP after the same private conversation that had led to the mended fences between the North and the South. She remembered that day affectionately.

 

_ Alice and Betty had a long talk that morning, complete with countless tears shed and numerous apologies. Her mother acquiesced and admitted her own hurt had clouded her judgment for far too long. She apologized for her actions, her overbearing nature, and told Betty she really only wanted what was best for her. Betty insisted it was in everyone’s best interest that they clear the air with the Jones’, together. Alice agreed without a fight, clearly knowing the conversation to be had was long overdue. _

 

_ They arrived at the Jones’ castle the day after the video circulated. Alice was clearly uncomfortable, apologies never had been her strong suit. _

 

_ In FP’s study, they all gathered around, no one speaking, Alice in one armchair separated from FP in another while Betty and Jughead sat on the loveseat opposite their parents. _

 

_ “I think you owe them both an apology, mother,” Betty prompted, willing the uncomfortable silence to break with her mother’s planned reparations. _

 

_ Alice sighed deeply, pressing her lips into a thin line before clearing her throat. “Forsythe, our past is ancient history and I’ve realized that now and I am sorry. I’d like to move forward with a clean slate. Whatever happened between us is in the past, let’s not let it dictate the kingdom’s future. I was wrong and I will sign the alliances.” _

 

_ FP nodded slowly, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips much in the same way his son’s did, “Thank you, Ali. Apology accepted.” _

 

_ Her mother then turned, focusing her gaze on Jughead before continuing. _

 

_ “Jughead, I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “I was wrong. You are not your father and Betty is not me. I apologize for projecting my own experiences onto you both. It was wrong and I hope you can forgive me moving forward.” _

 

_ Betty smiled, squeezing Jughead’s hand and turning to face her boyfriend. “I appreciate your apology Mrs. Cooper. I love your daughter, more than you know. She’s everything to me and I want you to know I intend on marrying her someday. We want to unite the kingdoms, to undo all of the damage that has been done and move toward unity in the future.” _

 

_ “Betty,” he mother looked at her, “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. Is this something that would make you happy? I want you to know that this is your decision to make.” _

 

_ “It is,” she said softly without hesitation, unable to conceal her smirk. _

 

_ “Well then, there need to be some formal arrangements made.” _

 

_ Betty smiled widely, relishing in the knowledge that their future would be different. That  _ they  _ would be different. It was the start of something new and she was more excited than ever for their future. _

 

The four of them sat down and hashed out the finer points of a formal betrothal just before their eighteenth birthdays, both coming around to the idea of a united Riverdale. Their formal courting was much different than the secret relationship, but when only weeks prior they hadn’t know if they would see each other for months, the took the proposition willingly, thanking their parents for their understanding and positively glowing as a result of the new arrangement.

 

Hiram was no longer the King and Veronica was now in control of the throne. Veronica had a rougher time, despite her cool and calm exterior, it was obvious to Betty that her friend was still stuck somewhere between daddy’s little girl and the independent woman she tried so desperately to exude. Betty knew better than anyone what the loss of a parent felt like. Hiram hadn’t passed away, instead, he was locked up in a white collar facility, awaiting trial and set to get at least 25 years, but the loss Betty assumed Veronica was feeling meant he might as well have died. Not only did his greed tear his family apart it also brought shame to the once great Lodge name.

 

All of the business profits were set to be taken away. It wasn’t a financial blow as much as a blow to the pride of the Lodge family name. Veronica’s mother took each strike in stride, first her marriage, then her image, then a portion of her money. The blows kept coming and Veronica saw her mother’s internal fire dwindle as the very public struggle heated up. In school, Veronica held her head high, the students supporting her. She spearheaded the new generation, giving a face to the ‘change’ was that was promised. In private though, she struggled, finding refuge in Archie, Betty, and Jughead, who had also come back to school shortly after the video circulated.

 

One afternoon, a few weeks after the video debacle, Betty went over the Lodge’s castle for a planned study session. When she walked into Veronica’s wing, she was met with a heart-wrenching sight. Her best friend was curled up on the couch, her delicate frame curled into a ball as she looked shockingly small, defeated by her own overwhelming emotions.

 

Betty rushed over to the couch, dropping her bags on the ground and wrapping her arms around her best friend. They sat like that for a long while, Veronica’s sobs wracking her body as Betty tried to soothe her with murmured reassurances.

 

When the tears finally started to slow, she pulled back and looked at Betty, a broken look etched onto her perfect features.

 

“He was my dad, B,” she whispered, “I’ve tried so hard to hate him but I just-” she paused, wiping the tears from her cheeks and sighing heavily, “I just can’t. I don’t know why. Everyone else hates him, and I  _ should.  _ I really should. He ruined so many things… Why can’t I hate him?” Her tears were trickling down her cheeks, a pained expression on her face.

 

“Oh, V. You don’t have to hate him. He’s your  _ father _ . No matter what he’s done that will never change.”

 

“He hurt me, B,” she paused, “he hurt my mom and you and - and - he hurt  _ all  _ of us. I just want to hate him.” Veronica’s tears slowly transformed from slight trickles to steady streams.

 

“Did I tell you about what FP said about my dad?”

 

Veronica shook her head, unable to speak, still sniffling through sobs.

 

“My dad set up the whole tryst with FP and that girl. He was the cause of my mom’s broken heart. You know,” Betty paused, shifting on the couch so they were face to face, crossed leg and knees touching, “I used to think my dad was my hero. He died when I was so young and all I ever remembered was how great he was. He taught me to ride a bike, he kissed my scrapes when I fell down. He did everything for me, V and I just thought he was the greatest person that ever lived. He was my very own superhero when I was a kid. But now, now I know he wasn’t,” she said simply, the realization coming to her as the words spilled from her lips. “Our parents aren’t perfect. We aren’t perfect but your dad loves you, he always will. No matter what he’s done he’s still your father and you’re still his little girl. That will never change.”

 

Veronica sniffled again and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her best friend in a bruising hug. “You’re the best, B,” she murmured into Betty’s hair, tightening her grip on her best friend, “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, V,” Betty cooed, smoothing her hand over the raven locks.

 

-

 

The end of their senior year looked nothing like any of them could have imagined nine short months ago, but as they all walked across the stage in alphabetical order, collecting the flimsy paper reward for years of hard work, each of them felt more prepared for the future.

 

They all talked late into the night, sitting around a campfire, their graduation caps adorning the trees their tents sat under, fields of poppies swaying in the distance. Camping hadn’t been Veronica’s first choice for the one night only graduation celebration each of their parents had agreed to; but after some behind closed doors convincing, Archie seemed to have bent her will just enough to reconsider. Betty and Jughead, on the other hand, loved the idea as soon as Archie mentioned it. They all decided on the fair’s fields and now each couple sat on opposing logs, watching the flames lick their marshmallows, and enjoying the normalcy of the night.

 

“You know, we’re all going to take our places on the thrones soon. Are you guys ready for that?” Archie asked.

 

“I am,” Veronica replied, straightening up and tugging on the very camping inappropriate skirt she insisted on wearing despite the surroundings, “I’ll be glad to have control of Lodgeville. It’s in desperate need of some TLC and I’m up for the challenge. I feel like I’m finally ready for the next phase of my life.”

 

Archie leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Veronica’s temple, tugging her toward him with the arm slung over her shoulders. “I think I am, too,” Archie added.

 

Betty was about to answer when Jughead reached over to lay a hand on her arm, signaling her to remain silent. She was confused for only a second when she saw Archie retract his arm and gently bend down on one knee in front of Veronica.

 

“Veronica Lodge, love of my life, I know better than anyone that providing tender, loving care is your specialty. We crossed paths over and over again as children and I was hopelessly in love with you from the start. No matter who I courted through the years, your silky black hair and deep brown eyes always crept into my brain Ronnie, telling me something about whoever wasn’t you just wasn’t right. When you finally went out with me, after years of thinly veiled attempts to hit on you, I was happier than I had ever been. Each day that’s passed since then, I’ve been reassured over and over again why you’re the one. Forget our families, forget the principalities. Will you be my wife because you love me? Will you marry me because I love you? I don’t want what’s good for the kingdom to determine our future but I think for once maybe if we do this, it’s good for everyone. I’m finally ready for the next phase of our lives, too.”

 

Betty saw Veronica reach her hands forward, cupping Archie’s face and pulling him toward her. It felt as if they were spying on an intimate moment and Betty finally broke her eyes away from the scene and signaled to Jughead that they should leave, letting the charred remnants of the forgotten marshmallows burn into ash in the firepit.

 

They wandered a bit into the woods, far enough away for the sounds of the crackling fire to be drowned out by the sounds of the nature surrounding them, yet close enough that the soft glow from the flames still illuminated the path back to the campsite. Jughead leaned his back against a tree, reaching forward to capture Betty’s wrist and tugged her toward him playfully. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his lean frame.

 

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” he whispered, the words sliding over her lips as his breath fanned her face.

 

“Feeling inspired by the proposal I see,” she teased, leaning forward to gently press her lips to his.

 

Jughead pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against hers as he shook his head slightly, “I’m feeling inspired by you, Betty. I love you more than I ever thought possible.”

 

She leaned forward again, unable to help herself. She smiled against his mouth before gently pecking him once more. “I love you too, Juggie. You’re not going to propose are you?”

 

Jughead laughed, smiling against her lips this time and shook his head again, “No, I’m not proposing to you tonight, Betty. One day I will, but not tonight.”

 

She knew it meant great things for the Kingdom, she knew it would be good for political reasons, but in that moment, all she cared to think about was how much it meant to her. It meant that the love of her young life wanted her just as much as she wanted him for just as long, and that, for the first but surely not the last time, made her feel like her life was complete; like she had a partner, a best friend, someone to navigate the turbulent waters ahead with. Betty thought she wanted nothing more in that moment, nothing more than to one day be his forever.

  
  


_ and they lived Happily Ever After.... _

*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the final chapter and I am SO excited to hear what you all think!
> 
> Please, please, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Feedback is invaluable and I appreciate every single one of you who has taken the time to read this. 
> 
> It’s kind of bittersweet to post this because it was the very first fic I wrote entirely ahead of time and I am so proud of it. 
> 
> I hope you all liked going on this journey with me as much as I did!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! ❤
> 
> Leave me a comment & let me know what you think! 
> 
> ❤❤❤
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr @bugggghead


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